The Tendons Toga Party, with Dun2Def and Henry & The Bleeders.

Lev 1 Esquires Bedford. 2nd September 2005.

Tonight saw the Bedford's loveable gladiators The Tendons hold a full on toga party that at times left me speechless.

Opening the proceedings were DUN TO DEF, whose roots are to be found firmly in old skool punk. They were assisted tonight by a guest drummer, namely Floyd Tendon. A great twist to their set was the fact that they were all kitted out in tiger togas - apparently they were unsure whether it was a toga party or a tiger party, so decided to hedge their bets! There set was, as always, warmly received and they finished to a huge ovation.

This surreal evening continued with HENRY AND THE BLEEDERS, who were thankfully NOT in toga wear, although credit must go to the member of the Bleeders crew who endured the walk all the way through Bedford town centre in his toga and sandals. Stand out tunes included 'Gin and Mustard', 'Nazi Police' (which certainly got the crowd going), the rarely performed 'Wreckin' Crew' and a punk cover version of 'Bad Moon Rising' that would give John Fogerty a coronary!

And so fellow Romans to THE TENDONS, performing to an audience that looked like extras in the film Caligula. With lead singer Jon also resplendent in a fetching toga the songs came both fast and furious - 19 songs in just over an hour. Oldies such as 'Baby in a bucket' and 'Schoolgirl Teaser' went down well, as did some of the newer material from their impending untitled new album. My personal favourite is 'Little Hitler', a song written by Lisa and Alan Tendon on the subject of over enthusiastic bouncers!

As the show progressed, general debauchery ensued as Jon lost his toga, revealing pretty much everything else! Although occasional guest vocalist Mr Simms is not present on the night, 'I Like Beating Ed's' and 'Johnny Don't Care' are performed to rapturous applause and the band end their hard gigging summer by sauntering off to their Roman orgies with the sound of their trademark finale, 'Evil', still ringing in the audience's ears.