Thirst Club Esquires Bedford. Saturday 19th March 2005.
(c) Drive Like Casey from a previous gig at Esquires.
This was a rare ol line-up, as a regular gig goer I had only heard of one of the bands on this line up and they were from Luton. These must have been late additions as I know they were not on the origional list at the beginning.
First up then ALIAS, I think one of the most memorable parts of the set was the transition between having the singer and drummer swap for some of the tracks. I thought the first singer with the microphone image T-shirt put everything in to belting a good vocal effort, while the other singer that started out on drums had a bit of banter with the crowd as well, which made him seem, not just a singer but a competent front man also. Although this band didn?t do anything for me really, they did put in a great effort and could all play well, but certainly no fault of their own that they really weren?t my type of thing.
ACOSTA all looked like well-established musicians and played quite a tight well-rehearsed set. I certainly couldn?t fault their ability to play live and it was good to see a female singer up front for a change and she could certainly sing well, despite this I still didn?t quite know what to make of this band, a bit like knowing what?s round the corner but just not knowing where the corner is. Again, another band that didn?t do very much for me, but if its any consolation ? although that?s my personal opinion they still played so well that I feel that my taste in music is to blame and not them.
With a name like CHAVIUS I half expected a bunch of chavs stepping round on stage throwing their arms like a half attempted table tennis swings and saying ?Yo? between each line. When I saw the burbury patterned chav hat being worn by the drummer I thought this night isn?t going too well for me.
A cow has four stomachs ? each used for different parts of the digestive process?. I was beginning to wonder how much more I could actually stomach of the line up on this night myself.
Just then people started piling to the front something big was expected to happen and there was a kind of buzz of anticipation in the air. I needn?t have worried about my pre-conceived ideas though, as the band were actually taking the mickey out of the chav culture and I soon found myself warming to this band. Not exactly my taste of music, but they had this way of cheering me up, with their predominantly funky beat reminding me of Summerfall?s ?Funky Chicken? song unfortunately all their songs sounded the same as that, not much variation but I was still enjoying their set and so it seemed were they, especially their bassist who I think must have smiled all through the set and competently played some slap bass and normal bass licks. I think the only advice I would give to this band is perhaps their lead guitarist could show up front a bit, he played well, so shouldn?t be skulking at the back, where as their bassist seemed more of a front showman. I was starting to enjoy the night at last though, from a lively band that create a great live atmosphere that makes it not matter if it not usually what I would listen to and they defiantly went down extremely well with the crowd.
The only band that I have seen before and would go to their home town Luton to see Bedford Metal?s March Web Of The Month band DRIVE LIKE CASEY, I always think that if the right person was ever at one of their gigs they could easily be a signed act. They have a flowing professional sound and can only improve with further experienced song writing material. They recently had some coverage in one of the main music tabloids (N.M.E.) and with their no nonsense sound are sure to continue to keep a crowd in full swing.
For me it would have been a close call between this band and Chavius winning. There was a guest judge from one of the most established Bedford punk bands keeping score and the winner at the end was announced by the prettiest member on stage all evening ? the lead singer of Acoster, who she of course announced Chavius as the nights winners.
Review by Keith www.bedfordmetal.tk
Review 2
Battle Of The Bands - Alias, Acosta, Chavius, Drive Like Casey - 19th March 2005
Reviewed by Martin "The Lighting Guy" Stapleton
The latest heat in this year's battle of the band competition saw North Bedfordshire based band CHAVIUS win against very stiff competition. However, this decision both staggered and amazed me and I feel very sorry for Drive Like Casey and Acosta who, on the night were, in my opinion, vastly superior to the eventual winners. This decision seemed to make a mockery of a so called 'fair' competition and even goes so far as to question the integrity of some of the people involved!
Anyway, having got that of my chest let me review the evening.
First on was 'ALIAS' who unfortunately I know little about. They are a band I have not seen before but they impressed me with their versatility. At regular intervals the vocalist and drummer interchanged roles, which meant their seven song set showed real variety and diversity.
Next on were 'ACOSTA', a young band who formed at college just over two years ago. Hailing from Nottingham, during their short career they have already played at such venues as '93 East' in London, 'Junction 7', 'The Rescue Rooms', and 'The Boat Club' in Nottingham, 'Music Live' in Birmingham as well as various venues in Derby.
Their set, which could be described as a cross between Rock and Indie, impressed me immensely, and it was easy to see why their vocalist Rosie Abbott has earned comparisons with P.J. Harvey. I particularly liked the songs 'Standing Still' and set closer 'Hair Down' and although they did not win on the night I sincerely hope it won't be the last time Acosta play Bedford.
The next band on, and eventual winners, were CHAVIUS - a four piece group who all met at Sharnbrook Upper School. Presumably they are called 'Chavius' because they all want to be 'Chavs'.
Of their set, I liked 'Distant Shores' and 'Making Plans' and I wish them good luck in the semi-finals.
The last band on the night and certainly the most experienced of the four were Luton / Bedford based 'DRIVE LIKE CASEY'. They have played Esquires about six times in the past two years and have during that time supported 'Franz Ferdinand', 'Jet Plane Landing', 'The Ordinary Boys' and 'Bloc Party' - quite a testament to their ability.
Tonight they open their set with 'The Scent of Blood', a rousing and vibrant song that sets the tone for the following six songs, which were consistently excellent despite the band experiencing a few problems with their sound.
Review 3
Battle of the Bands - Esquires, 19th March 2005
Reviewed by Simone
One of the perks of this job is that occasionally, we get to witness 'behind the scenes' of our beloved Esquires. Tonight was one such night, as Rick and I were cordially invited to be judges in the Battle of the Bands competition, and thus see how the winning band is decided.
First up were ALIAS, who started off well with a pianist reminiscent of Ben Folds, and a great opening number which just managed to pull itself back from Keane territory in time. They showed their versatility with the drummer coming forward to sing a couple of numbers - unfortunately this move cost them a bit as he wasn't quite as strong a front man as the original (there is a lesson to be learned in the story of Phil Collins, let's never forget it). But they did show a fair bit of potential, and we duly totted up their marks before moving on to the next act on the bill, Acosta.
ACOSTA were perhaps the most original band of the evening, with a front woman who had more than a touch of PJ Harvey and early Throwing Muses. Announcing that they had come down all the way from Nottingham for the event showed their commitment to the band, and musically they were a really tight band, and in my opinion, deserved to win the night.
Now, we move on to the evening's proclaimed winners, of whom I confess I was not a fan. Arriving on the stage dressed up as clones of Goldie Lookin' Chain, musically they may have potential - once they learn the distinct difference between "inspiration" and "plagiarism" that is - but CHAVIUS desperately need to decide what they want to be - the novelty act they were dressed up as, or a real live band? However, the crowd did seem to be with them.
DRIVE LIKE CASEY probably shouldn't be in the competition, if for no other reason than they both look and sound like they're already headlining Esquires. Tight and competent, they did seem to be suffering from tuning and sound problems, and perhaps would've been wiser to have just carried on rather than starting a track again and therefore drawing attention to it. Aside from that, it was a good set from the band with the best name of the evening too.
I guess that part of the 'fun' in these competitions is the controversy that can surround them, and tonight's heat was was nothing if not controversial.
I'm just not sure that the other bands won't be wanting, quite rightly, to throw in a certain Johnny Rotten line, that's all.