All Tied Up, Project Noise, Of Atlas.

Dannys Bar, Lev 1 Esquires, Bedford. Saturday 29th March 2014.

Tonight represents the inaugural Bedford gig for fledgling promoters Spark Entertainment. Although I know them by name, they are all conveniently wearing identical S.E. T-shirts. I was most impressed by that. The team have promoted many shows in the south of the county and are now hoping to put on a few gigs at Esquires this year. They have also done their best to make this a special event with the bright flashing lights dazzling the small stage in the bar. The only setback to the packaged promotion of the gig is the non-appearance of a few bands that were advertised to play, Imicus being a case in point.

OF ATLAS open the evening. With drummer James on board they contain a familiar face to the local gig-goers. As with most bands the majority of people's eyes are focused on the vocalist. Perhaps this pressure weighs a little heavily on his tall frame as he appears nervous and doesn't quite know what to do with his arms and, no doubt, sweaty hands. His rather static stance contrasts strikingly with the all action swagger visually portrayed by his three colleagues. Their confidence is boosted by some strong support from travelling friends, especially when the band perform "Guilty". I particularly enjoyed the high powered rock 'n' roll sound of "Wishful thinking", but sensed that Of Atlas seemed to be more comfortable when they brought us their current single "Satisfy". There was a slight delay before the start though. An overall good debut gig by this band but I feel that the vocalist needs to study some footage of some cocky, flamboyant frontmen to fully enhance what the band are trying to achieve.

PROJECT NOISE follow. They hail from Milton Keynes. A friend's ears prick up and they enquire if they are "straight out of Giffard?" before adding "Bradwell Common". Ah the sights and joys of the roundabout city! This six piece are self-proclaimed "stoners from MK". They start with a song that is best described as speeded up classic rock with a human beatbox. Their set is variable and constantly contrasting as they deftly mix ska and punk together, dolloped with a reggae bass and a touch of rapping. The Esquires bar, although recently redecorated, could never be described as too salubrious, but it is very easy to imagine Project Noise pitching up and playing in a squat! Their confident and exuberant frontman (I hope the aforementioned Of Atlas vocalist was taking notes) appears to be filled with the joys of booze and comments "you think this is shambolic"! The set seems to be never ending as the band are undecided just how many songs they have left to play. With "Ticket inspector" they declare that this is "genuinely the last song, we don't want to take the piss"! Of course they can't resist a cheeky follow on which is preceded by some hilarious self-promotion of their website.

The bar is sadly a lot emptier by the time ALL TIED UP start their musical innings. This quartet are purveyors of pop punk, based more in the late eighties English tradition rather than the American nineties way. They thank everyone that has stayed late to watch them and employ a fun element to their collection of songs. The drummer grimaces as he thrashes his skins and sweat is dripping off him. His slick hair appears to be ruined but he doesn't care. After a couple of songs the vocalist removes his glasses; now he really means business. They are given solid support by a line of girlfriends and, most especially, the well lubricated Project Noise boyz! The latter really earn top marks for keeping the party atmosphere flowing. Pick of the set is probably "Unfortunate misunderstanding" which is an addition to their original set list. It's a fast ska-ish song and is also notable for the bass player moving across the stage for a brief Quo moment. They give big "thanks to Johnny", but their intention to "let's get this party started" never really materialised.