The Fatal Mistake, Bent Like Bob, Henry and the Bleeders, Fifth Quarter.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2. Friday 20th May 2005.

By Tyso

Firstly, what a fucking great evening this was, one of my best in a while so thanks to all the bands for putting on a great show.

Fifth Quarter was first up. This was my first encounter of this band and I wasn’t too sure what to expect. At first I wasn’t impressed. They sounded a little mellow and jazzy for a Friday night and I thought they would have been better off playing a Sunday afternoon gig down The Park pub. They soon got going though and it was all jump started by an amazing drum solo that seemed to grab everyone by the balls and slap them about a bit. The drumming was appreciated by the growing crowd and they soon repaid the band with some action down the front and gentle swaying at the back. You could feel some energy building in the crowd and it would take a special band to take full advantage of that energy. Enter the Bleeders……….

Henry and the Bleeders took to the stage and immediately I liked them. They have a no nonsense image that tells you what you can expect from them. Proper punk rock. The sort of music you play to piss off the neighbours. The front man and his typical punk hair style gets your attention straight away and then his old school punk vocals, perfectly complimented by the excellent band, keep you entranced and entertained till the end of the show. They have an original sound that not many bands at Esquires can pull off and they are a welcome bit of relief from the Indy and metal bands that I am use to seeing down Esquires. The crowds were really moving now and the growing anticipation for the return of Bent like Bob was soon to be satisfied.

As you may have guessed Bent Like Bob were up next. This must’ve been the third or forth time I’ve seen these guys and they never disappoint. Said to be a cross between Lost Prophets and Guns ‘n’ Roses, they are an excellent band well worthy of a headlining spot. I’m always impressed with the professional sound they produce and the front man is one of the best you’ll find down Esquires in my opinion. Clearly a crowd favourite they always get a good reaction on the dance floor and get the people singing along. Well worth checking out if you haven’t already, they come highly recommended.

The Fatal Mistake was the headlining band and I for one was very excited at their return to Esquires. I love this band and if I had the chance I’d make sweet love to each of them. Although I somehow feel the majority of the crowd would disagree with me. Maybe they were just worn out from Bent like Bob but there wasn’t much movement from the crowd (apart from me and a few others). That aside The Fatal Mistake boys played a great set made up of tracks from their current album that was available on the night (Review to follow). It’s not easy to sum up their sound or pigeon hole them but if I had to compare them to other bands I’d say they sounded like a mix of Hundred Reasons and Pennywise. Whatever you think to them I think most would agree they make good music and with tracks like best befriend, high wall falling and big picture (available from their web site) they have potential to make it.

Thanks to Esquires for putting on a great lineup and a special mention to the Boy George look alike ;o)

Reviewed by Tysoe for Bedford Metal.