Inspiral Carpets, IC1's, Bowfinger.
Bedford Corn Exchange, St Pauls Square, Bedford. Friday 11th July 2014.
Tonight at the Bedford Corn Exchange, The Pad Presents brought Inspiral Carpets to this town for the first time. They have had a long, eventful and often turbulent career, but Oldham's finest are here. As someone who used loved this band in their lofty pomp at the turn of the late eighties, early nineties, tonight's performance doesn't fill me with much joy.
This current line up of Stephen Holt (vocals), Clint Boon (keyboards, backing vocals), Graham Lambert (guitar), Martyn Walsh (bass) and Craig Gill (drums) is the original one, but is not the same as the classic five piece who scored 16 hit singles or had 5 top twenty albums between 1989 and 1995. They also reigned supreme at various large festivals, both here and abroad, and did many television shows. Inspiral Carpets were groundbreaking and part of that successful formula was the velvety voiced vocalist Mr Tom Hingley. Sadly, without him this band lacks so much. The only redeeming feature is the cheeky and charismatic presence of Clint Boon who continues to keep the flames of this band burning brightly while his fellow bandmates seem intent on snuffing them out. It is such a shame that a huge Friday night crowd were served this highly diluted version. The paying public certainly play their part in recapturing the original flavour and spirit of Madchester as they "moo" incessantly. However, this lovely shout of endearment is no excuse for a rather charmless Mr Holt bellowing out the classic songs like a cow on it's way to the abattoir.
This is a warm up for T In The Park, but the nostalgic memories are not really happening for me on this gig. Sadly they are no longer cool as **** as they were in those halcyon days of yore when we were so much younger. We thrilled to listen to a new concoction of music. Unfortunately this got cut short by former Inspirals guitar tech Noel Gallagher who singlehandedly turned the cheers to sneers. As Don McClean once sang, that was the day the music died and perhaps why people now tune into reality pop shows instead of attending gigs. It is very difficult for a dyed in the wool Tom Hingley-fronted Inspirals fan to take this evening seriously. No amount of alcohol consumed can make up for the fact that the fact that the vocalist / frontman is the guvnor in a rock n' roll band (sorry Clint). Sadly, Stephen Holt is lacking in looks, presence and voice and just seems to fall flat on his saggy Oldham arse. The beautiful sounds from Mr Boon's Farsifa do bring a moist glow to my eyes though, especially on "Directing traffic" and the lovely "She comes in the fall". To their credit, the band are not entirely resting on their strong Northern laurels and are probably at their unified strength when they perform new single "Spitfire". The huge backdrop has displayed this and the band name all night, but now it serves to highlight that Inspiral Carpets are indeed writing new material in the 21st century. Also of note is a lively version of "Butterfly" which was on the early demo "Dung 4", recently re-released. Unfortunately "I want you" doesn't contain Mark E. As the ever haunting sounds of "Sackville" fade, I take a step back and digest it all. Once again, Dragging me down" and "Two worlds collide" have rather encased themselves in my consciousness. Inspiral Carpets reappear for a much requested encore and "Saturn 5" sends most of the delirious crowd home happy. All I can do is ponder some thought provoking lyrics. "What have I done with my life?" is always a worrying line.
The early arrivals are treated to the excellent sounds of Luton's Bowfinger. I probably enjoy watching this razor sharp quartet as much as any Beds band and, again for the umpteenth time, they do not disappoint. Normally the quiet one in the band, even bassist Dave gets lively on the vast stage. He shouts out a few lyrics and did I spot him jumping about as well? Bowfinger are always consistent and never flash just for the sake of it, just supremely smooth. Chirpy frontman Ed is always smiling and tells us how excited they are to be supporting Inspiral Carpets. He adds that they worked with Clint Boon years ago while recording "Lucky Jim". The fast paced "Action girl" rounds off another assured show. Polished and professional.
I don't smoke, but I wished I did and could nip out when a band called IC1's came on stage. Putting the cock in cocky, they recreate laddy lads rock. Clothing style seems important to this band too. The music just washes over me. Needless to say, the laddy lads lapped it up. There is a lot of posing and strutting in this (thankfully) short set. It was an interesting night of music where nostalgia seemed the key. Although this review may seem a tad negative, watching the crowd reaction it looks as if it was a night to remember for a good many people.
Review by Martin Stapleton. www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk