Bedford Esquires Thirst Club Saturday 07 February 2004.
ELLA... was just a simple case of non presence –‘ they didn’t turn up’, which unfortunately left more room for the poor sad choice of music from the disco between bands, - the sort you get a belly full of at non alternative clubs.
LOVE BURGER was the only band of the evening that I hadn’t seen before. They arrived on stage all in hoodies, looking like escapees from a monastery. The only thing I had heard about this band, was that they were a good looking band…. A jest from someone who turned out to be actually in the band. The songs and style were interesting, well played and good enough, although the sound may have let them down a bit. Their main guitar/vocalist didn’t seem like a natural singer, maybe because of the incumberance of having to play guitar and sing at the same time, seeming to be straining, putting everything in to it and not being heard well enough; where as the bassist – standing closer to the mic using softer more melodic vocals but being able to belt out some good vocals with out needing to try, and also seeming to be disguising himself with a cap under his hood – probably to hide the fact that he would later re-appear in Sprokit. A thunderous rhythm was knocked out from their drummer who at one point I saw giving a saucy wink to someone he knew in the crowd. No huge variation in their songs but not bad all the same, and worth checking out.
CUT IN QUARTERS – these were recommended to me when I saw them at the ‘Lizard’ I thought at the time it was because of the other bands on that line up making me think that they weren’t that brilliant and a little bland, which I found confusing because of the fact that they were so good at Esquires last month and tonight also. – I later discovered the inconsistency of views was probably due to the fact that they had changed their lead singer; - looking like one of the guys from ‘Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure with a med evil looking Blackadder the 1st. hair cut! If I may be forgiven for saying that if I add that the singer was also noticeably better than the first band and used the stage space well with exuberant energy and confidence on stage, demonstrating himself to be a really good and proper front man (in a pair of pantomime friesian cow like black + white trousers). They were musically quite good and actually got the most vote on the door, even more than the sum total of fans on the door that the two other bands had put together! – Three times more than each band in fact.
SPROKIT play a tight no nonsense set and don’t give the impression of being a fake punk band in any way. Their set went really well which they should be quite pleased with – especially the result. They have a consistently good bit of drumming who I know hails from quite a musical family. They all have varied tastes in music which sometimes is allowed to come out in their songs. The vocals are shared between the two front men and each quite different, where as sometimes this would clash together like a pair of Pat Butcher’s ear rings, but with Sprokit, it gels quite well; less abrasive, almost soothing vocals from the bassist and harsher let it rip vocals from the guitarist who seems to play a lot better, using more melodic skill than when in his other band (New Road). And if I may add, playing better than he does pool, heh heh. Not sure what it was called but I recognised a really good song that they do, from other times that I have seen this band, its quite a short song, one of their own and has actually a really good tune. Their bassist is also in quite a few other bands, even including jazz and seems to be in charge, often seen giving a few stage directions to their more than capable drummer – this time giving the directive to end on a crashing drum finale.
The heat was won by Sprokit who go through to the next round.
