The Bedford Athletic Rugby Club Wentworth drive, Putnoe Bedford. Bank Holiday Monday 29th August 2005.
Peter Ouse, Fifth Quarter, Dilenquents, Enigma, Paroxysm, Revelation.
Heat 1
The only solo artist entered in the Bedford Metal Battle of the Bands, Pete Ouse , kicked off the evening with some very unusual music. I was unsure what to expect from the man who describes his act as Bedfordian country/Surf and unsurprising his music was as original as its genre. This was by no means a bad thing, Pete playing through a pleasant repertoire of catchy songs, most notably the song about the shrimp which is still stuck in my mind even now. You would expect a solo performer to lack the presence and full sound of a band, yet with the aid of some pre-recorded backing tracks as well as a pint of beer Pete delivered a great show that I found to be most entertaining.
Having previously heard the Fifth Quarter 's CD many a time it came as no surprise to me when they instantly hit the stage with their bluesy set that was played very professionally. Blues may not be my favourite style of music but I definitely enjoyed this band all the same as did the judges. Following that it was understandable that they won the first heat taking a 50 voucher with them at the end of the night. This band really looked like they were having a good time and I'm sure progressing to the next round meant they had an even more enjoyable evening.
Moving now from blues to the sound of metal the Dilenquents were next to entertain the crowd. Up on stage they certainly looked the part and their music fitted well to their appearance. I have heard that this was their first gig and if this was the case the lads should be very proud of their performance and confident of their abilities (not that I'm saying they aren't already). It was nice to hear such variety in a single heat. Not only was this their first gig but they also played on the house back-line and to have delivered such a decent sound on alien equipment merely adds to my astonishment.
Heat 2
The Enigma opened the second heat taking the night to the next level with their heavy, powerfully played metal with some extremely catchy riffs. This wasn't the first time I'd seen this band play, they had played at a gig with Blackout before when they had a drummer stand in for their current one, having their actual drummer this night certainly seemed to improve their performance. I was quite taken by this band as were the crowd, reacting well with moshing breaking out close to the stage. Despite opening the second heat The Enigma stole the second heat (I say stole but their performance earned it) making them the second band to progress to the semi-finals where I'm sure their variety of The Enigma T-shirts will follow. These were being sold at a bargain of 3.50 at the end of their heat, generous as well as talented.
Now the next band up stunned me, having never heard of Paroxysm before I was not prepared for what I felt was an excellent set of metal. This was my kind of metal and probably my favourite music of the night. I though the singer especially to be a valuable asset to the band who all performed their music like they really meant it. Sadly, I did feel they were slightly messy and loose in places, however, I thought the basic content of the music was fantastic and with more practise and experience, Paroxysm could tighten up their performance and become a great band. This is a band to look out for in the future and I shall certainly be looking out for any local gigs they might be playing soon.
There aren't many bands I remember from two years ago having seen them play just once but Revelation , the last act of the night, are one of them. They seem to have changed since then but the quality is still there. They began their set with a song I recognised, Stranger Complex. For those of you who weren't lucky enough to receive one of the Revelation business cards that were being handed out their website is www.revelation-online.com which is where you shall find their recording of that song. Using a combination of hardcore and melodic sounds added to by the use of odd timings this band have produced a number of diverse songs and delivered them well on the night making it a very close call for the winner of this heat. I'm sure these guys are disappointed that the judges favoured The Enigma on the night yet this should be no discouragement as they still delivered a very impressive performance.
Reviewed by Geoff (Blackout) www.bedfordmetal.co.uk
Review Two
The double heat event kicked off with PETER OUSE - a solo artist with his own sound guy filling in for the backing, making for a talented and entertaining start to the afternoon, with his avant-garde mix of Country surf. This had quite a refreshing sound, it had a kind of 50s funky rock n roll feel, he has worked with his band for 2-3 years, but is now performing as a solo artist on guitar and vocals. It must have taken a lot of courage to start the ball rolling. Talented, entertaining and with an emphasis on funky.
To say that THE FIFTH QUARTER met in a remote farming village in Wales and were bored of herding sheep and milking cattle so decided to play the blues/rock, to vent their frustration must surely be a lie - or just something they just made up to put on their application form.
I easily feel I could just put my feet up and let the gig review its self as it would take up time to sum up how I feel about this band and get beyond "wow". The bass in a good blues band always seems slow and ploddy in order to emphasise the melodic lead guitar who utilized different ways of holding his guitar while playing, including behind his back and other positions. I thought it was good of the guitars to take a back seat for a while to allow the focus to shine on a drum solo, pounded out with gritted teeth. If their guitarist had spent much less time practicing his instrument and with a lot less skill he would probably just be in a punk band.
THE DILENQUENTS not needing much introduction to their already large fan base for their first proper gig, formed as a reaction to all the generic music circulating at the moment and showed a lot of gratitude for this gig that they wanted to do so much, that when it was thought they couldn't do it at the last minute, they spent the day training a replacement drummer, showing dedication with their rock metal punky sound. They really went for it, putting on a fantastic show both with communicating to the crowd and getting one of the best audience response of the night and their way out stage dress and as if to emphasise their rock horror skull dangling image, covered some Misfits with the cover 'Die die my darling' going particularly well.
The second half heat, kicked off with ENIGMA , regulars at their Milton Keynes. venue The Pitz with their thrash metal hard but melodic sound. They had drummer problems at first as well, having to make an escape tunnel from a wedding before the gig.
They have a really good front man and it is also pleasing that their bass player interacts with the crowd also. They have some really good tunes amazing guitar work and are able to knock out a really good bit of Metallica as well (Blackout beware!) Their 'Seek and destroy' went down a treat and it was good to see some girls moshing up front to a band that put on a professional performance.
Also from M.K. PAROXYSM with their new metal sound and it seems unable to escape a line up with Enigma although this time in a more headlining position put everything in to their performance. They have some barking dog like rough vocals and a really good singing voice when allowed to mellow out between the dominant growls.
There is no fault in their twin lead and bass attack guitar abilities with some extremely good tight guitar playing and certainly displayed more energy than the audience, which a large fan base would lap up if present at one of their gigs. These seemed to me to be the heaviest band of the night and I know they would go down a storm with a good crowd. They may be on another line up with Enigma again as they were approached with an offer to play with Mendeed at Esq. coming up - Who said these BOTB gigs were not a platform for something special?
Venerated more normally reserved for the bones of saints REVELATION are the first band to have played twice at this venue for Bedford Metal. They started off 4 years ago experimenting and jamming at school and have an origional thrash metal heavy sound, with angry vocals holding on to notes adding to their melodic quality. Their drummer looked dwarfed behind his ever-expanding trusty drum kit, which although one is readily provided at these gigs, bought his own. The bass player of this 3-piece is almost a front man him self coming more up front to demonstrate his obvious skills. They have a good fan base from Sandy and Bedford but I wish their fans would pay attention to the other bands on the bill as well, as it really was a fantastic line up throughout.
Unlike Esquires this venue has the dry ice stage effects, which blended in so well with their hugely atmospherical epic 'Nothing lasts forever'.
A huge thanks to the bands that made an amazing memorable line up, our prestigious judges - I know I wouldn't have liked to have done it, our guests in the audience from Milton Keynes, a special shout out to the members of Blind Theory who showed their support and everyone present. - Here's to the next one!
Keith. www.bedfordmetal.co.uk