Resident D.J. of Bedford Esquires, The Bear, and the Hob goblin Paul Craven also puts on the ‘Essential Sessions’ nights at The Park pub, it’s a pub with different sections, the front of which has an area set up for bands on these nights. I went along to one of them to see the guitarist from ‘The Ten Year Prospect’ who finds time to break away from the band with his new outfit – The Fifth Quarter, which gives him a chance to flex his musical muscles to further horizons with his blues based sound.
You either like blues or you like it a lot and if you are undecided, then you just probably don’t have access to it, with it not having a great deal of radio airplay etc.
Older people in the pub were readily commenting on how young these 3 band members look, followed by being really surprised at just how good they can play. The drumming is quite laid back and looks at times as if it wants to let rip in to heavier bursts. The bassist sometimes plays along with a separate tune, which ads to the diversity of sound, while the outstanding part is of course the totally skilled guitar work with its hypnotically drifting tones that would get anyone in possession of a pair of ears tapping their foot or nodding along. You really would think that with such great potential in the guitarist that he would perhaps be a cocky bigheaded little bugger, but that couldn’t be further from the point. He also has those great, rough, blues vocals that go well with the blues sound.
At one point I saw a business looking man in a suit, striding with determination up to the sound man looking as if he was going to punch him, he then quickly thrust a fiver in to the sound guys hand and purchased ‘ Reinventing The Blues’ – the new C.D. available on the night from the band. The C.D. it self features 3 of their own tracks and covers from Cream and the blues meinster him self… Hendrix.
I saw these guys at the Hat Factory in Luton before in a jam session, where they went under the name Lone Stallions (although the compare called them “The Lonely Stallions” which raised a laugh). I was also instrumental in getting them a slot at Esquires, which I felt quite proud of, especially as they went down so well with people on the night.
They will be returning soon, so get your blues swade shoes on and reinvent the blues with them , next time they play!
Review by Keith www.bedfordmetal.tk