The Whybirds, Kilto Take, Suzuka, David Lloyd.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 15th November 2008.

Wow! What a satisfying evening. Musical gratification indeed. A good sized crowd, technically gifted musicians performing an absolute abundance of enjoyable tunes. Proof that, in this reviewers opinion, going out in search for live music is quite possibly the secret to a happy and fruitful life.

The show starts with an acoustic artist unfamiliar to me, I must admit, Mr DAVID LLOYD. No, not the tennis and leisure entrepreneur nor the much respected Sky sports cricket analyst! This is Dunstable's David Lloyd whose pleasant and undemonstrative demeanour hides what I'm sure is a nervous interior. Casually attired, but a smart waistcoat and college scarf outweighs faded jeans. He starts by what seems to be an autobiographical story in a song called ‘Introduce Myself Please’. The lyrics are compelling. Interestingly constructed, the crowd assembled are warming to our new visitor. ‘Footprints in Tears’ follows in a similar vein. David slows it down a touch with ‘Walking Yellow Brick Road’. His jaunty personality shines through as he 'rocks out' to ‘My Friends’. In this song Rodney, there is even a 1-2-3-4! ‘Seaside town’ is, I can reveal, a rather mellow tear-inducing tune, while a quite dramatic ‘I Ain't No Dancer’ ends the set.

Although they have been together for ten years, SUZUKA tell me they have not performed for four long years! It is, I feel, an auspicious statement. This local indie rock quartet whose set naturally suffers from being a touch rusty, are always enthusiastic. The rocking ‘Der, Der, Der, Der’ is outrocked by the bluesy ‘Trigger Happy’. With a touch of the variation namely synths, allied to some Sonic Youth like clatter on ‘Wide (Open the Doors)’, there is enough to keep me satisfied.

After the newcomers to the Esquires stage, the rest of the evening is in the more than capable hands of our regular and much loved visitors. Since their first gig KILTO TAKE have always impressed. Tonight their blistering set begins with ‘Different Side’. In fact, such is the energetic introduction, vocalist Mark admits at it's end that he's a bit knackered! There is, however, a fairly reasonable excuse as at present the band are currently hard at work in the studio recording their demo EP. Audience participation is generally high on Kilto Take's priority list and tonight is no exception as ‘Wake in the lie’ gets the crowd responding with a sing back of "W, oh, W, oh, W, oh". At it's end, Mark admits to the audience "That was a bloody good effort!". The participation continues on the new song ‘Her!’. This and ‘Silhouettes’ should combine to form a staple part of Kilto Take's set during 2009. They are a band who continue to accentuate the belief that the emphasis should always be placed on those long forgotten values such as melody and harmony. Top lads.

What can one possibly say about soft country rockers THE WHYBIRDS. It is always a real pleasure to witness Dave, Ben, Taff and Luke in action as their ultra bittersweet lyrics combined to a melodic nous is a pure joy. Phew! What a potent force. A formula with its plaintive twang that always mirrors the light stepping rhythms that eventually sweep over us all. The bands uniform use of refrain is a shared pleasure for us all. Everything during the set slips comfortably into place. They keep things clear and arrow straight, nailing so many memorable tunes as they progress, sometimes sounding forlorn in each passing phase. For me, there is to be in ‘Make me Numb’ a rich glow and a mischievous magical thought that perhaps sometimes that answer does come inside a bottle!

The songs of The Whybirds echo of deep lush woods and those bendy winding rivers. The set transforms the imagination. Rightfully, and all credit to the boys, they perform an encore in memory of one of the truly legendary rock performers. Mitch Mitchell, drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience sadly passed away a few days ago. The Whybirds cover of ‘Fire’ was a fitting tribute.