George Ezra, Darling Mundaring, The Casters.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Sunday 11th May 2014.

The definition of secret is as follows; kept back from the knowledge of others, guarded against discovery or observation, unrevealed, unidentified, hidden, preserving privacy. This Sunday evening show brought with it an air of mystery. Just who would be tonight's top secret headliner? With tickets pitched at only £5 by The Pad Presents, there was certainly no danger of people being rinsed of their hard earned cash. Finally 'unveiled' this morning by Beds On Sunday and later on by social media, Bedford Esquires bid a warm welcome to George Ezra.
A real media buzz has surrounded this 19 year old lad who hails from Bristol. Having finished at no. 5 in the BBC Sound of 2014 list, his Columbia Records debut EP peaked at no. 6 on the i-Tunes chart. A debut album entitled "Wanted on voyage" is due for release at the end of June. This month sees him embark on a European tour before coming back to the UK. Festival appearances include T In The Park, Scotland, Longitude, Ireland, Boardmasters in Cornwall and a return to Glastonbury. Here in Bedford is another step in his rapid development as, in preparation for the forthcoming shows, he is appearing with a band for the first time. Two guitarists and a drummer lend their support. From the early days of being driven to gigs by his scaffolder mate, George's performances are now overseen by a proper road crew, including his own sound engineer. A spacious tour van is also to be seen in the car park.
He gives the large assembled crowd a pleasant greeting. Tall and fresh faced, he tells everyone that they are the "guinea pigs"! This is very much an experimental evening for Mr Ezra and the band and he is going to be performing a large chunk of songs from the album. He tells us that we are "hearing it close to the original tracklisting". His opening salvo is "Blame it on me". A confident demeanour is instantly noticeable as he sings "What are you waiting for?". Mr Ezra (not his real name as he was born George Barnett!) describes his vocal style as "raggedy blues", although with his immaculate floppy hair he could certainly take on the role of a poppier indie spokesman. His most catchy song appears to be "Cassy O". It's very much a 'once heard never forgotten' tune and should become a firm festival favourite this summer. There is a fair degree of crowd movement on this one; a rare occurrence as the audience appear quite reticent. Perfectly normal as it is a late Sunday evening. His between song chat is polite and kept short, but does inform. We are told that "Benjamin" is about his best friend, while his most amusing anecdote refers to the composition "Budapest". This was the free download breakthrough song that plucked George from relative obscurity. Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe heard it and called the West Country troubadour his 'next hype'. George recalls being in Malmo, Sweden at last year's Eurovision Song Contest. Not only did his visit inspire the album, but on his last night there he got very drunk and missed his train connection to Budapest.
Subtle variation plays a part in his set as one song veers from a strong bluesy first half before exploding into a full-blown psychedelic rock jam that the band seem to love playing. The set closes with "Barcelona". This song is performed with a skill almost at the level of that city's favourite footballing son Mr Messi. It has such a melodic summery feel. Despite calls for an encore, George Ezra has said his thank yous and goodbyes. With the ten songs the 'experiment' seems to have worked. It is also nice to report that he did a brief meet and greet post gig, happy to chat and be photographed. It will be interesting to chart the progress of this gentleman during 2014. People not in attendance tonight will have to wait for his appearance on BBC's Later With Jools Holland. They can reflect on their wise decision to stay in or perhaps kick themselves that they missed out on the chance to see George in such a small intimate venue. Either way, I enjoyed the set, but would not be tempted to buy the album.

Some classy locals offer support. Firstly it's The Casters and a short confident set leaning heavily towards a bluesy psyche rock. Thankfully the band deftly shed the often dangerous lens of nostalgia in favour of a fresh and exciting sound. Possessing a natural flair and a strong onstage bravado, they executed a set that was highlighted by "The game". This included a funky ska blues segment that blended in so well. With a driving drum intro, "Changes" is a new one and the heaviest of The Casters' crop tonight.

After a lengthy gap from the Esquires stage it was good to witness the return of The Darling Mundaring. Skillful musical technicians, this five piece delicately weave an array of gentle sounds. The female vocals enchant. "October" and "Its good for me" earn the loudest applause. It is all heartfelt, lucid and passionate with a beautiful collision of sounds. A delight.

George Ezra (Video one)