Bedford Esquires Thirst Club Saturday 14 February 2004.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY First up then Based on a True Story . This relatively unknown two-piece is likely to remain
that way. The fact that they were even allowed to play remains a mystery.
To their credit some tidy guitar work was demonstrated and there was some
evidence of vocal talent. However most of the time the singing was out of
tune and they lacked any real substance without drums or bass. It is unlikely
that they will be seen again in their current form and should really seek
some new recruits if they are to gain any credibility. The best thing about
them was the wireless lead of the guitarist allowing him to roam out into
the crowd.
HAIKU The female fronted Haiku, seemed to get a mixed reception.
Their deep ballads were difficult to get into but their combination of organ
and guitar worked very well with the singer’s unique voice. With some work
there is definitely some potential with this band but the crowd couldn’t
really get into their charisma lacking performance. Their originality was
refreshing but the performance didn’t really fit the venue. This band may
benefit more from a studio recording as their on stage abilities were not
their strong point. However if this was their first live performance then
this is something that could just come with experience.
ORBUS The return of Orbus to Esquires was preceded by some uncertainty regarding their future. None the less they delivered a very tight set. With considerable
live and studio performance Orbus looked comfortable on stage and their
musical talent was clear. It seems that the band have finally set upon one
direction and their new material had an early Radiohead rawness to it that
impressed the crowd. With the keyboard player seated it was up to the longhaired
front man to entertain the crowd. The singer had a good voice and considerably
improved guitar playing but struggled to keep the audience’s attention.
This was disappointing, as Orbus have always been very well supported in
the past. The band have some very good ideas and its reassuring to see a
band stick to their own sound instead of just trying to sound like whatever
is doing well at the time. Overall though a very good performance and the
best of luck to Orbus in the future.
THE 10 YEAR PROSPECT Making their Esquires debut on the back of two strong performances at the
Lizard, The Ten Year Prospect were on top form. Not at all overawed by the
large crowd TTYP made the most of the big stage and seized the moment to
make a name for themselves. Clearly well rehearsed the band showed remarkable
confidence and certainly woke up the crowd. With a healthy following the
TTYP kept the crowd involved throughout their performance. The band demonstrated
diversity in their sound and clearly have a number of dimensions to their
music. Having added lyrics to some of their previously instrumental numbers
the once again hat bearing front man was able to remain on stage throughout
which noted a major improvement. Also sporting a scarf this time, the singer,
roamed the stage with confidence and delivered an energetic performance.
The rest of the band showed good understanding with each other and the whole
band worked very well as a unit. With good songs and obvious ability TTYP
will be a band to keep an eye on this year. The talented group had the advantage
of being new? but their music proved that they are here to stay, as they
progressed to the final.
THE STRATE EDGE
T.S.E. – had a hard task to fill after 10YP, but weren’t to blown away to give a great performance. The crowd was sufficiently warmed up and gave a good response to the mighty Strate Edge, who had no problem in keeping up the momentum. I think these last few bands seemed to have a lot more experience over the other opening acts, and it’s always good to see a band with a lot of character and The Strate Edge are no exception! They have a great fan-base from just out of Bedford who flock like wallpaper to the front and are starting to amass a closer to Bedford following also. When I first heard of this band, I didn’t think that I would like them that much – having the ‘Indy’ tag thrust on them, but now I feel that I missed out by not seeing them on their earlier visits to Esquires, as they are much more than an Indy band, more rock’ish with different songs and guitar styles – they not only push the envelope of an Indy tag… they also lick the adhesive and fix the stamp! Although having an intelligent feel to their songs, they don’t seem as melodic and could do with more scope for something different to add a further range to their material, ranging from their own stuff like ‘Orion’, ‘Never Did That’ and ‘Since you’ve been gone’ by Rainbow, at their disposal that are sometimes used in their repertoire. There’s something I wanted to check out about this band and moved closer to the front to confirm my suspicions; and I was right. – Although difficult to notice unless you were looking – the lead singer does these performances bare footed, although this wasn’t easy to spot under his bell bottomed flared trouser ends, being a great front-man he kept everything ticking over fantastically with his happy wriggly hoppy movements on stage, looking as if he was enjoying himself which spread through to the crowd creating a cheery vibe which was good to see. The Strate Edge can also be seen at the Lizard Music Venue on Wednesday 18th The 10 Year Prospect won the heat and go through to the next round.
Review by Charlie Tutt except The Strate Edge by Keith Pickering www.bedfordmetal.tk
