Tarantism, New Groove Formation, The Swamis.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2. 23rd September 2006.

Tonight it's Party Time! In celebration of one of Esquires most colourful characters, Gary (otherwise known as 'The Big Ginger Feck') is having a 40th Birthday Bash and this evening was the culmination of all his hard work.

An opening slot is awarded to THE SWAMIS. Always a very popular band here and tonight is no exception. They get everybody in the right frame of mind and as usual the shirts come off. As the confidence and vigour oozes from the stage the crowd need no prompting - unequivocally a cracker of a set.

NEW GROOVE FORMATION make a swift return here, a case of deja-vu having wowed everybody at last weeks Cravenfest. As per usual, they just shuffle and amble on stage at various times and just generally jam into their set. They are without doubt the ideal party band and their fanbase is all ages. A sonic surround fills the venue as the mosh pit is awash with legs jumping, arms waving, head bobbing and buckets of sweat flying! An awesome assimilation of diverse musical ideas but above all alot of fun!

Esquires plays host to a whole variety of genres in the musical world and it is generally excepted that the vast majority of musicians have huge egos. Therefore, I've tried to pick my words carefully when I saw that tonight's headline band are a little more mature than the average visitor. However, the played without doubt one of the most hypnotic and spellbinding sets I have witnessed at the venue.
The band in question are called TARANTISM. Their sound? Well, imagine the ingredients of Fairport Convention, Clannad, Jethro Tull and Pendulum mixed together with more fusion and sprinkle the spirit of King Tubby on top and it might give you an idea of the Tarantism cake!
For the History buffs, apparently Tarantism was an epidemic dancing mania which was especially prevalent in Southern Italy from the 15th to 17th Century. Popularly thought to be caused by the Tarantula bite, there must have been a few spiders in Esquires tonight with all the manic dancing on display.
Using a variety of different instruments, the predominantly female vocal based band just magically transported everybody to the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge. From a hot sweaty club in Autumn to an open field in Summer, that is the effect they had on us all. Their infectious spirituality of the Celtic-Ska-Dub-Sound just pulsated waves and waves of pleasure. Music has the rate gift being able to induce an almost euphoric trance, and Tarantism certainly did that to me tonight. Totally a cosmic experience. With all proceeds tonight going to the Sid Worth Memorial Trust fund, the thanks (and birthday wishes) must tonight go to Gary.