Missssing Andy, Exit Black, The Bluebook Project, Yellowknife Bay.
Lev 2 Esquires Friday 19th December 2014.
This is the fourth time in just under three years that MISSING ANDY have headlined the Esquires main stage and on each occasion they have packed the venue with their large crowd of vociferous travelling fans. It is a great credit to a band who are not generally regarded as a big name in the music business. Missing Andy are situated well under the radar for the Bedford fans, but induce such a loyal following from the county of Essex. The scheduled door opening time is slightly delayed due to the headliner's meticulous sound check. A tad too much perhaps for other bands on the bill.
With the attention to detail nailed, once Missing Andy are in front of their crowd they are further energised. This five piece are desperately difficult to pigeonhole musically. Countless genres are utilised. Am I being cynical if I loosely describe them as a 'Jack of all trades' band? To be fair, their live show is high octane stuff, gaps and pauses are not allowed and energy rules. These musicians seem to fully appreciate their crowd and make damned sure that everyone present is going to get full value for money. That comment cannot always be afforded to some of the 'minor' headliners that we see at Esquires. They begin with some strident 'happy clappy' bravado. After all, this is the Juicebox Christmas party, although the bare surroundings of level 2 give no real indication that we are in the festive period, so perhaps Mr Scrooge is alive and well in the Bromham Rd area.
Missing Andy move onto the subject of "Money". It's soulful pop and a little Spandau retro. The rather confusing nature of their material reaches a peak on "Scum". It is spoken in a Streets way and the crowd know it and join in solidly. Powerful lyrics spell it out "It is written on the walls". The lean and muscular frontman commands the stage, his heavily tattooed arms raised high in the air. Recently the band have released not one, but two albums. They are "Guerilla invasion parts one and two" as well as "Slip away". They included a couple that have never been played live before. Firstly "Kings and queens", which is the huge orchestral one, replicated in a different way for this performance in a small venue. "River" also has its first airing. When these lads sing "Do you feel it?", I sense that their fans are in unison with a positive reply. With their smooth coated styles also containing a little Brit pop and ska, Missing Andy are a band fighting to keep music well and truly live through the relentless touring of the 'toilet circuit'. Here the humble gig goer rules. After tempting the audience with their rider of Quality Street earlier, the encore finds these Essex boys asking "Mince pies anyone?". Returning with "The way we're made in England", the band leave us with a powerful anthemic agenda. A very curious mix of styles throughout though.
The lads from YELLOWKNIFE BAY open the show. This is a local band who never seem to stand still musically and are constantly evolving from their punkier origins. The quartet unfurl some anti-pop nuggets, which with Roger Fowler's gnarled vocals, feed on the bones of alternative rock, but also nibble at a random selection of other styles. Angst ridden lyrics are delivered by Roger who is almost cryptically apart from his musical brothers. This can be a touch hard to grasp at times. Stabbing riffs abound and hint at a sheer malice of musical originality. Genres are varying with some grunge funk on "Pandora's box" and a bit of dirge punk on occasion. We are informed that "Maria" is "one of our old ones". This is useful to a huge percentage of the crowd who knew nothing about this band. A friendly audience offered polite applause at the end, but on what was to become a high-spirited night, I felt that these introspective rockers were just a bit too studiously earnest and almost in their own Yellowknife Bay bubble.
Next on the stage are THE BLUEBOOK PROJECT. I feel that their performance tonight rather marks the closing of chapter one. This confident indie rock quartet have recently completed their debut EP which is now available as a download, but will be followed on disc. 2015 will see them branch out for some long distance gigs which should form part of a tour. Solid progress has been maintained this year and it will be interesting to see the band's new material, a direction unknown at present. For us keen followers of this cheerful local outfit, the set list is familiar, heavy guitar riffs with melodies to complement. That's the stamp of songs such as "Superstitious", "Keep to the rhythm" or the flavoursome "Hurricane blues". I do beg an xmas question to the band which concerns "Take me away". Why do I always hear the haunting sound of a phantom saxophone in this one? The next chapter will be fascinating to discover and devour.
Early in their set, the frontman of EXIT BLACK shouted "If you're not moving you need another drink". A gallon of alcohol would fail to get me dancing to this band. Admittedly he looks the part with his shades and hair gel. The band provide the singalongs to tunes that remind us of cheesy eighties pop. The crowd certainly enjoyed it much more than this reviewer whose will to live was sapped long before Exit Black finished their set.
Review by Martin Stapleton. www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk