Firetype, 91 Pieces, Grim City Blind Theory.

The Beds Ath. Wentworth Drive Putnoe Bedford.

Friday 10th March 2006.

by Fionnbharr Carter.

First up were 91 Pieces, a fun 3-piece band, who play together for a laugh and only want to entertain people. I liked the enthusiasm of this band, they put a lot of energy into their performance and also managed to get in a few old school sounding riffs into their pop punk. The crowd also got moving, and there was even a spinning emo kid to be seen amongst the pogo-ing throng. Unfortunately, as their short set drew to a close, their singers voice started to go and the drummer seemed to get a little tired, but I am sure they can improve with some practice.

Next on the stage were Fire Type, another band relatively new to the Bedford scene. They surprised me with their mature stage manner and presence, and surprised me even more with their music- I had seen them and thought "Oh no, not another emo band" but they were incredibly tight and were very proficient with their instruments. I was very surprised to see a ripping guitar solo worked so well into a song around halfway through their set- it was totally unexpected, yet it worked very well. The band did seem a bit static onstage, not that all the screaming teenage girls in front of the stage seemed to care, but they played with an accomplished air of confidence, with smiles permanently affixed to their faces. Overall, they impressed me, and it would definitely be worth seeing them again.

After the obligatory introduction from Mr. Keith, new band Grim City took to the stage. This "Bedford Supergroup" are formed from ex members of three different bands, including Sick on the Bus and Doubting Thomas. They opened up as they meant to go on- with energetic pop punk that really got the crowd jumping. You could tell from the off, that the band members had experience with other bands- I was particularly impressed by the (ex Sick on the Bus) drummer, who, I was reliably informed, had only had one practice with the band prior to the gig, but had learned all of Grim City's songs and played them impeccably well throughout. Their "modern punk" stylings were interspersed with slower, emo-style songs such as "My Failure", and these made for an interesting change of pace, complete with slow guitar solos and thumping drums. The band did seem to run out of steam towards the end of their set, but this was easily forgivable as they had been jumping about like jackrabbits for their whole show.

After a short break for the bands to change over and the crowd to get their breath back, Stepping Over Jenny filled the stage with their brass section and pop punk band. They started their set with the theme music to Kill Bill, which I thought was a nice touch, and then dived headlong into their ska- punk infused setlist. I saw this band on New Year's Eve at the Ath.- they surprised me then, and tonight they impressed me musically again. It was a shame that their vocalist did seem to struggle to sing a couple of their covers in key- the rest of the band were so "on the dot" that her difficulties seemed worse than they probably were, which was a bit of a shame really. However, their own material was quite impressively structured, written and performed by all on stage, and was enjoyed and danced to by most of the crowd present. Their brass section are what make this band unique, with their Less Than Jake style flourishes and extra bits, and they really complement the pop punk guitar riffs. With a little more practice and a few less covers- and maybe a stage extension!-, I think this band could easily be seen headlining the Ath. at some point this Summer.

To finish the evening off, experienced local chaps Blind Theory mounted the stage. The unusually young crowd went wild- evidently, most of them had come to see the B.T. Show- and without delay, they started pogo-ing like there was going to be no tomorrow. The band themselves were hugely up for it- I had been given a sneak preview of the balloons, beachballs, and- err, inflatable sheep- that they were going to chuck into the crowd as they started. In their set they mixed up their own tunes with a few Blink 182 and Sum 41 covers that have become the staple of their performances over the last year or so, and really jumped around the stage as if they had been drinking Espresso laced Red Bull all day. Sadly, they did have a few problems, such as their guitars detuning and the singer missing a few lines in some of their covers, but the fact that the singer finished in nothing but his underwear showed that they can't have worried about it much. That a band can do so well locally while sticking to such a tried and tested musical formula says something about the strength of the local scene at the moment and how in Bedford, Rock music wise, there really is something for everyone.

Review by Fionnbharr Carter. www.bedfordmetal.co.uk