BOWFINGER
with Midnight Taxi, Tristan Nelson.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Saturday 23rd March 2013.

BOWFINGER are back in town. These perennial Esquires favourites returned to the bar for the first time in nearly three years. The main stage is their usual domain. After taking a brief hiatus (except for solo projects), the chirpy and confident quartet look to have regained a revigourated spirit. In fact, after keeping to a standard and regular set for a number of years, Bowfinger have just recently been writing new material culminating in their new four track digital download EP entitled "Ten Pence On The Returns". This Luton foursome need no introduction, but I will give them one anyway. They are Barry (drums), Dave (bass), Iain (guitar, vocals) and Ed (guitar, vocals). They have been regular visitors to Esquires in many guises for over twenty years and are always a personal favourite. Good songs and nice people - need I say more? Announcing that it's great to be here, they begin with "Action Girl". Suddenly plumes of smoke billow out of their machine. It empties it's contents rather excessively! It seems to find its way into every nook and cranny of the downstairs area. Like guilty schoolboys, Bowfinger seem to be a tad embarrassed at their smoky exploits! The new material fits in well with the trusty tried and tested. Of the older stuff, "Everything is easy" is one of this reviewer's favourite ever songs and they effortlessly make it sound as fresh as when I first heard it all those years ago. The recent "Keep The Pressure On" contains elements of early Costello, while the EP title track is a virtual Brit-popper. This song also demonstrates the fantastic close knit musical community that radiates around Bowfinger. The affinity and true esteem that Bedford's musicians hold for them as when Iain inadvertantly breaks a string, PHR's Andy Paris steps in and kindly fixes the minor crisis. Ah teamwork! A new one called "The Conversation" includes oodles of "wo-oh-oh-oh's". Once again, a sprightly Ed stands on the drumkit. You have to admire this fella's agility and balance.

Opening for us tonight is TRISTAN NELSON. He made his Esquires debut on the main stage recently at the sold out Jebs gig. His followers are plentiful, although as a whole, the room is not respectful. I watch intently, but sadly can hardly make out what this young man is saying. People seem generally to ignore him and the incessant chatter increases. Tristan makes little effort to fully project his set. Quite bizarrely at the end of each song the crowd applaud very profusely. Cheekily, one wonders if it is because he has stopped! As an acoustic act Tristan does need to stamp his mark a bit more forcefully. The only memorable part of this performance is Tristan's attire which is very smart with a white shirt, dark tie and trousers. Musically it needs bundles more warmth and personality because at present, only one word springs to mind - weedy!

MIDNIGHT TAXI are a five piece who contain amongst their ranks one of Esquires favourite musical sons. In short, Blaine is back. Offbeat, unpredictable, quite simply a lovable loose cannon. From the days of Portion to the delights of Jynxt, one thing is certain. This man is never afraid to experiment. The clarity of sound tonight is superb. Puffs of smoke cascade around the bar. Blaine hyperactively greets us with an "alright" and it reverberates around the room. Better is to come as "Icebox" contains vocals that echo non stop. Immediately, I ponder that this is going to be something just that little bit different, special even. The wide-eyed front man crouches down. OK, we know the moves and I can almost read his mind. Sudddenly he starts creeping forward. It may only be the second song and also Midnight Taxi's debut gig, but the real untamed and 'x-rated' Blaine has been unleashed upon Danny's Bar. Rather sadistically, he starts singing directly into people's faces. Thankfully "Defenceless" is a slower one and a chance to gather one's thoughts. In fact, add some keyboards and it wouldn't be a million miles away from Duran Duran! An oozy intro leads us towards "Movin Backwards". Slightly 'rappy' vocals give it an almost faux urban flavour, why it's almost Mike Skinner vs Sting! Of course, no Blaine show would be complete without breakages and naturally a glass lays in smithereens on the bar's carpet. Ah same old Blaine. He still prowls, pouts, stares and challenges, all in equal measure. The conclusion to the set has vocals conjuring thoughts of Chuck D over James Brown and ending with the customary and manic Blaine 'eplileptic fit' over a guitar solo. Welcome back to Esquires Blaine, it's been far too long.