FIRETYPE with ALIAS, SAVING SKYLINES and COUNT THE DAYS.
Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Friday 26th June 2009.
REVIEW ONE - Keith.
On a warm muggy summers evening recently visited by heavy rain and thunder during Wimbledon tennis week, a not so busy Esquires gig took place on Lev 2.
The first volley on centre court was served in the form of COUNT THE DAYS with a kind of up north indie style to their vocals and sound, not that entertaining, not that inspiring or memorable and not really one to budge the needle on the excitement meter. I did however find my self getting in to their tunes and liking them more as they went on. Not much movement either, however it was an opening band on a not so busy night.
Another young band up next - SAVING SKYLINES are a Biggleswade mild pop punk indie sounding band with a girl on keyboards adding a modern dimension to the blend and a front man capable of engaging the listeners, sung with great verve and gusto with an East London gor blimey guvnor accented sound to the vocals. I can definitely see some great potential from this outfit. Although admittedly not hugely my style of preferred music dont let that put you off; they are very good and competent at what they do and a fine example of their type. I really enjoyed the vocal style, it fitted in really well and hope this band doesnt fizzle out any time soon as they just give me a sense of being on the edge of achieving a certain something to push them further. Yea good luck to them.
ALIAS to deliver a volley next and to clear the net superbly. A band that have done well, coming to attention after their Thursday showcase nights. They added a more guitar edged rock sound to the evening, sung powerfully well with a passion infused quality. They have some really good listenable tunes which seem quite wide appealing as opposed to being a band stuck in one particular market genera. Quite a static band for only four members, seemingly concentrating more on honing their sound rather than the larger visual performance level. Difficult not to like and even easier for indie rock enthusiasts.
The well placed bands on this bill were evidently getting better and better as the game wore on.
Game set and match to FIRETYPE a long standing favourite of mine who have been playing since even younger than they are now. A stupidly good guitarist for their type of music and a singer whose vocals dont grate or annoy and stand up to prolonged listening. Much used to playing to larger baying crowds than this - as billed end of exam celebration night although by the size of their fans they probably failed the lot! The band didnt fail to deliver though and served a mixed volley of new and early memorable numbers. All that was needed was the strawberries and cream to complete a good line up of both new and welcome returners making up the line up of bands.
REVIEW TWO BY Martin Stapleton.
A gig, and a day completely overshadowed by the sudden death of the self-proclaimed king of pop, Michael Jackson. With the world's media working on overtime, everybody's comments and thoughts revolved around the demise of music's most complex character. Even the start of the Glastonbury festival is given less coverage. However, for this reviewer, the death yesterday of Sky Saxon had more relevance. Frontman and vocalist with The Seeds, he was one of the founders of the sixties garage rock scene, which certainly set the legacy and template for alternative music. Bands and sounds that are seen and heard here at Esquires every week. Check out Pushin' Too Hard as an example.
Of the four bands on show tonight, youthful pop-punk pretty much ruled the stage. SAVING SKYLINES had variation courtesy of their young lady keyboardist, adding some deft finger skills to complement the frenetic guitars. Whether it's a statement of intent, but the T-shirts worn by the guitarist and drummer are worthy of note. One is Superman and the other is Batman! Even these superheroes dismally failed to get a crowd sing back going to "Hold on honey".
At least COUNT THE DAYS had one keen fan in attendance, as said supporter applauded continuously on his own after the band had played one of their songs. "If I" and "No good for you" are performed diligently, if not memorably.
Contrasting, and for me dominating the evening, are the excellent ALIAS, who continue to impress. Impish frontman Tom Kitchiner could almost be an amateur meteorologist, as during these balmy hot past few days, he nods knowingly to suggest that we are due some "Stormy, stormy weather"! I must admit, level 2 does resemble a sauna tonight! The quartet buck the stagnant stench of pop-punk to deliver some good quality, lyrically constructed tunes. Amazing and gutsy with unswerving commitment. The start is strong, coming as it does with "24 wasted hours" and "Devils in the dark". The almost Stonesy/Dylanesque mixture of "Thieves and vultures" paves the way for "Big sleep", which is part of the much anticipated debut EP coming out shortly. The band reveal at the end of the set that they are due to perform at two separate gigs tomorrow in South Bedfordshire. Busy boys are Alias, and deservedly so.
FIRETYPE appeared rather tame this evening. Although they play well enough, they don't seem to be operating at full throttle. Without the much needed stage energy, their average collection of songs rather meandered and merged together. Fittingly on this eventful day, they performed a cover of "I Want You Back".
White Clouds And Gunfire who were advertised to play made a very late cancellation call.
keith www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk Martin Stapleton www.bedfordesquires.co.uk