Punk Ghouls Vs Metal Zombies.
The Dilenquents with Slave To Nature, The Radiating Eyes and Abadden.
Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Friday 31st October 2008. Halloween Gig Special.
poster by Dazz Warr.
Good Evening, I am Dracula, I bid you welcome, listen to the wolves the children of the night, what music they make.
This gig was first thought about when Dilenquents, Radiating Eyes and myself were together at a gig on May 4th this year and was a dream come true for these bands to play on Halloween. Determined to not have just any ol run of the mill or indie/happy ska gig with the Halloween tag just dumped on it we thought wouldnt it be great to have a proper Halloween gig on the night with bands that would make an effort to play the part.
I - Count Dracula, after a short coffin break and a steak which gave me heart burn, introduced the first act. From Dunstable
ABADDEN after a few gigs for us in Bedford, this was their first gig on Level 2. Fresh out of the studio recording their new CD were on top form as the first of the metal zombies. Thrash metal with long waving hair, thunderous drums and spectacular guitar riffs. A metal band that I always felt needed to be unleashed to a large Bedford audience and the first to play under the new web banner.
To an eager crowd as usual THE RADIATING EYES (wonderful chaps, all of them) played an enthused energetic set of blistering punk ghoul tunes and had flown in all the way from Denmark.... Street (in Bedford). They have a new CD out which was on sale at the merch stall. Amazing guitar work especially for a punk band and vocals rougher than a grave robbers dog, gives this band a hard edge amongst the melodic strains of their milder tunes. Looking and sounding as though it should be a Halloween gig for them every time they play, they got an involved mosh pit going although various orders including a circle mosh from their singer were ignored by the crowd up front. Even their bassist gets a go on vocal duties while their bag of flower whitened singer also struts a lead guitar through most of their tracks but its good to see him let rip when just holding the mic on other tracks.
As a vampire my favourite dance is the fang dango but a mosh pit is the correct movement for fans of the next band
SLAVE TO NATURE with a skull masked drummer (and what a drummer) pounding along with the twin lead attack of guitars with a Trivium fused edge to their hard but melodic playing. Amongst their well played tracks was the poignant ambient anthem from their new CD also on the merch stall called SOS showing just how diverse and original this band can prove to be. They have came a long way since starting from their gigs at the Ath. And here along with Abadden demonstrated a great showcase of professional looking talent for the Metal Zombie side.
I bet you thought the Dilenquents were next but instead as a surprise to even this garlic hating vampire next up were
THE FAKE DILENQUENTS with various different people (one of which in a bear costume) hamming up a Dilenquent song leading to a blown fuse and confusion all round until another vampire bight in shining armour sorted the lack of sound and the real
THE DILENQUENTS took to the cobwebbed, skull, dead babies, bat strewn, well decorated stage. If they were all vampires like my self Im sure they would get a lot of fang mail as they put on a great show as you would expect, especially if you went to their BOTB gig at the Corn Exchange Gig
earlier this year. Horror Punk with Misfits homage sounds. As it was Halloween the band members visited the grave yard just before the gig and dug up their first drummer to add a brush shaped hedge headed nostalgic edge to the band including Monster Mash our D.J. on spooky laced keyboards adding a dimension to The Dilenquents for this special gig and fresh back from Germany their versatile guitarist added doom laden rifts along with melodic approaches to the punk ghoul team.
I think one of the best things about the Bedford Alternative Punk Ghoul Vs Metal Zombie night was the fact that almost everybody made an effort to dress for the occasion quite common if you visited BAMs gigs other years. The awkwardly shuffling people in their normal attire were the ones that looked the odd ones out on this occasion.
My thanks to all the bands especially Bell for the drums, my lovely ladies on the door, Three Counties Radio for the interview at the gig, Pete Burrage and Martin Stapleton for promotion and lights, James and Jez for gig photos used and of course to all who visited and enjoyed.
Just a quick word for those of you scared of witches, ghosts , monsters and daemons, just remember.... - There are such things!
Count Dracula www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk
This review is dedecated to Bella Lugosi
REVIEW TWO by Martin Stapleton
I read a quote this morning that stated There is nothing funny about Halloween; this sarcastic festival reflects rather an inferior demand for revenge by children on the adult world! Perhaps a tad harsh, but then I didnt get a visit by the trick or treat youngsters. No broken eggs outside my front door when I arrived home after massively enjoying this spirited and themed evening. Its a Bedford Alternative Music promotion and is hosted naturally enough by the mine host Count Dracula himself, although he did bare a slight resemblance to Mr. Keef Pickering!
With metal opposing punk, our first guests are Dunstables ABADDEN whose heavy slabs of melodic noise impress. It is at all times fast and loud and the good sized crowd are quick to seize the chance to mosh. My Misery detonates to the extent that the stage literally shakes with an awesome velocity all created by these free spirited youngsters. They are quick to announce that a demo is being processed for the 4th November to download. As with this in mind its only logical to include a featured track. The Day Of Reckoning brings a closure to their all out blistering assault that leaves a sizeable collection of ear drums almost obliterated!
Could the following punks THE RADIATING EYES rise to the challenge. Well, with their brazen fuzzy guitars primed for action they create a sound sure to remove any fog distorted demons hanging around this musky old structure. Their raw ruthless assault executes a sound so wound up with fury. It exudes more pent up rage than hell itself. Ben, Dazz, Luke and Charlie have a debut album to launch and promote, tonight they showcase the songs live, in all their glory. Scum, Denmark Street and Parasite City are especially energetic and with the whole overall set, I once again look forward to the next instalment of The Radiating Eyes with bated breath.
I seem to be alone in my judgement of SLAVE TO NATURE. The crowd seem overly excited, while Im afraid I try hard to stifle the yawns. They certainly know how to orchestrate plenty of audience participation, The Silence, sees practically everyone with their arms in the air while later on the metallers engage in the always tricky art of organising a crowd sing-along. As the set reaches its zenith, the head spinning and whirling rotation becomes more elaborate and exaggerated. For me it just masks the musical limitations.
After a quick visit from the novelty THE FAKE DILENQUENTS, its time for the real deal headliners. Im surprised to learn that time moves so quickly when Richard reveals that this gig marks the third anniversary of
THE DILENQUENTS first Esquires appearance. Tonight they are back to their 2005 original line-up, plus adding Mr. Monster Mash (from L.M.S) to do his keyboard wizardry. The quartet then proceed to ply us with a psyche blues bone rattle that I would feel all self respecting zombie gonzos in attendance would and must surely die for. Jason takes on most of the lead vocals but it still leaves time for Richard to perform his excellent Johnny Cash rendition.
All in all an excellent spooky evening which is made more special by the wonderful and amazing fancy dress attire worn by the constantly high spirited audience. I know I struggled to recognise so many folks in their fancy dress outfits.
Martin Stapleton www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk