The Tempest, Reverie, The Tease.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 24th September 2005.

First, the bad news. Unfortunately, highly rated new band The Rifles had to pull out of their headlining slot this evening. However, it looks likely they will return to Esquires sometime in November and in the meantime it gave an opportunity for three young indie bands to shine.

First up are THE TEASE who have graduated from Danny's Bar to make their debut on the main stage. Locally based, the five lads have influences ranging from Hendrix, Led Zep, Queen and Oasis and for a young band with limited gig experience they conducted themselves with supreme confidence. 'Take Me Tonight', 'Don't Let Me Go' hurtled along apace but for me their final song 'Take You Away' was awesome, the britpop sound of their earlier songs giving way to a hypnotic indie-dance tune which was the best song of the entire evening.

REVERIE made a swift return to the venue, having played here in August. Tonight they play a brand new composition 'Mirror, Mirror', singing and playing in a laid-back style coupled with bittersweet angst and real feeling.

THE TEMPEST rounded the evening off with a similar sound to Reverie, but with tracks as 'Can't Let Go' and 'Once in a Lifetime' clearly showing the influence of Radiohead on the group.

A hugely enjoyable evening spent in the company of some very talented young musicians!