FURY FEST.
ENIGMA, MIKSHA, FLICT, SACRED MOTHER
TONGUE, NEPTUNE.
Bedford Esquires Lev 2.
Saturday 19th November 2005.
1 Keith www.bedfordmetal.co.uk 2 Martin Stapleton www.bedfordesquires.co.uk
I wanted a bit of a break from doing a review for a while and thought I'm only
going to review this if the line up can pull something special out of the bag to
impress me. - .... So here's the review then.
You should have seen the faces of the people watching NEPTUNE
unpack their gear at the sound check, "beware what you buy on e-bay"
someone was heard to say, this Boston Band had some unconventional instruments
to say the least, and were happy to talk about them as well with people, which
was good.
I really liked this band they are the most avant-garde band I have seen all
year, with a really great sound from this trio who made all their own
instruments. One of their guitars was a video recorder with strings and a
neckpiece added, another looked like a big rusty metal can with a scythe for the
neckpiece. The keyboard was a caged mass of electronics with wooden struts for
keys and there was also a strange palm of the hand, held device, which made an
interesting sound when played, also tapping the gas mask that the drummer was
wearing added to the surreal vibe. It's quite unusual to read a review where
more attention is paid to their instruments; I would say though, that they are
more of a serious band than a novelty act, with an experimental Primus or Fugazi
like influence.
Neptune Web
SACRED MOTHER TONGUE are a band I would most
defiantly want to see again and am going to award the 'man of the match' to
their main lead guitarist who I thought played at his most intricate, melodic,
fastest and best on the bill tonight.
The vocals stood out as being exceptionally well sung and had a kind of Dio like
classic metal quality, while the other guitarist who would soon be returning in
the headline band also provided some additional backing vocals and startled
facial movements. First time that I had seen this band and already people seemed
to be quite impressed.
The most impressive vocalist of the evening had to be the singer in FLICT.
They had a raga metal trait, similar to another great band called Skindred and
had the edge of having the fastest dexterity of vocal use. They had a call out
for anyone who smokes weed - a bit of an advert for their use of the stuff, well
you can stick your fucking weed up your fucking arse mate.
This band had the most amazing crowd reaction, they had a large coach round the
corner and were the most liveliest act, putting everything in to a great
performance and turned out to be a band that although not seen before, would
actually like to see again.
The night was already over running and there were two more bands yet to go. Next
up was a band only added on to the bill the day before when the promoter
approached MISHKA at the Fell Silent/Blackout gig
in Rushden the night before. They are a band that has everything. A great heavy
but standard sound, well played, a fast intensity and a great moshing potential
and a good on stage attitude as well. Their instrument playing ability and
overall sound is ever present and you would probably be hard pushed not to enjoy
this band. I was also really impressed that they remembered my name from the
night before. Cheers.
Miksha Web
There is the most amazing line up at the Pitz M.K. next Saturday with one of the
best Iron Maiden tribute bands, HeKz and this next band THE
ENIGMA who along with HeKz will also be on the Bedford Metal Battle Of
The Bands on 2nd December.
With a set cut shorter, The Enigma took no time in putting in a tight well-honed
performance. They are one of the best young local talented bands around at the
moment and demonstrated an entertaining set which included newer songs, tracks
from their C.D. a guest singer from the audience (No it wasn't me) appreciable
guitar skills played to well written tunes and a new drummer who has fitted in
no problem (good luck to their old drummer at uni.). They look the part and move
well on stage and have a good sound to their (bonehead) vocals also. They ended
with quite a technical guitar piece laden 'Metallica' cover, which ended a
varied though shortened set. Look out for their return to Bedford and can't wait
to catch them again next week in their M.K. home town.
REVIEW TWO BY MARTIN STAPLETON.
In the true spirit of Avant-Garde rock, American band NEPTUNE had a most definite unsettling look to them, as well as off-beat musicianship allied to their 'Blue Peter' do-it-yourself ethic of building all their instruments from things found in a scrap-yard! Yes - really!! Their distorted sound was a cross between Kraftwerk and The Gang of Four. This must rank as one of the most surreal acts I have ever seen at this venue.
SACRED MOTHER TONGUE hail from Northampton and transported us back to Eighties 'stadium rock' sound. They hit us with all the old rock moves and riffs, which made for a welcome touch of nostalgia.
FLICT infuse a wide range of influences, from Rap to Ragga, Hip-hop to Heavy Metal. The lead singer fired lyrical salvos into the crowd, grinning as he did and offering the microphone out to his London collective in the audience who respond by reciting his lyrics back at him. How does he show his thanks to his numerous fans? He dowses them with a bottle of water! Ah, respect!
A late inclusion on tonight's bill are four piece Norwegian hardcore metal act MIKSHA. They create intense industrial soundscapes of metalcore machinery. Their set features tracks from their current album, 'Collect Your Hazardous Waste' and the lead singer has many kind words to say about the venue.
It is incredible to report that THE ENIGMA's set ended at 12:38am - quite a change from the normal 11pm curfew! For me, although they played hard and with tremendous feeling and endeavour, their set suffered from having to follow Miksha's, who were undoubtedly the stars of a diverse and eclectic evening.