Red Stripe Music Awards featuring Wolf Law, Tinker Jack, Rogue Radio, Nimblewits, Kilto Take.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 30th January 2009.

For the third successive year, Bedford Esquires formed part of the Red Stripe Music Awards. After starting on 16th January at the Cardiff Barfly and concluding in April at Brixton, twenty eight heats create a platform for emerging artists. They are collectively showcased in some of the best live music venues in Great Britain, culminating at Kentish Town Forum in May where four lucky finalists get the chance to support a major headline act. The winner will appear at three of the summers favourite festivals. The five bands to represent Bedfordshire offer quite an eclectic mix.

A strong start is provided by KILTO TAKE, who have recently been signed to Medical Records. The popular quartet have just finished their debut EP called "The origins of science". 'Prescriptions' for a couple of free downloads were gratefully snapped up by many of the crowd. Starting with "Different side" and the always uplifting "Captured on polaroid", vocalist Mark encourages everyone to "Put your arms in the air"! The audience responded positively. Taking their cue from a wider palette, Kilto Take tonight were 'poppier' than I have seen before. Even glowsticks form part of their set! "Her" is an incredible finale as the crowd, truly sated by the previous twenty five minutes, manically sing and shout back the song title to the band. Audience participation at its best.

THE NIMBLEWITS are a curious choice for the evening. Proficient and inoffensive, they have a mammoth task in following Kilto Take which the trio never came close to matching.

Normal service is resumed as ROGUE RADIO arrive on stage. Their all round rhythmic highs have a guile and craft that offer such interesting and refreshing variation. This is a band who are growing on me. With their DJ scratching away, they bring an eighties concept bang up to date with their skewed musical vision on display. For maximum effect, their vocalist is a contorted figure as he swings his lithe frame from the lighting rigging. Boundaries are pushed with their, in essence, ska-punk sound, chilling us all with "Charmer". They even find time to bring both "Jenny" and the self-explanatory "Come a little closer" to the latter part of the set.

Ah, TINKER JACK, who for thirty minutes drip feed me the musical nourishment only they can produce. Apart from a slight technical hitch at their start, they put melody to the forefront. Displaying such a tough folk-tinged beauty on the Americana influenced "Arkansas", their sweeping vocals, courtesy of Dave and Beccy, are once again so divine. The more they develop, the more they exude a fresh invigorating sound. "Stranger" and "Systematic" are so catchy and addictive, while, to close, 'The Tinkers' rock out to "The beat of my heart" which is still beating with a fierce heart! The audience's loud applause was the perfect testament to the youngsters efforts.

WOLF LAW have grown up before us. Older and wiser, but needless to say, their lovable shabby and sleazy persona still shines through. It's ragged rock'n'roll man! The quartet ooze charisma as the smell of leather wafts from the stage. The opening "Obey the Law" with it's fist tight riffs immediately sees the boys bringing us their lascivious swagger. But wait, there is more as "Crucified" powers a hammer handed panache of fizzling dynamics. There is, my friends, "No way outta here". With sponsorship tonight provided by a well known locally brewed lager, Sean asks "Do they do Red Stripe in bottles?". Cue the perfect singalong finale of "Swinging the bottle". It's been a terrific evening, and for all the believers, it's about living out your dream!