Bedford Alternative Music Presents:
The MONSTER Showcase (best of) Crimson Dream with Envy Four, Keeper Of The Rifle, Enraged Horizon and Apparently So.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Thursday 1st April 2010.

Photos and Videos (c)Bedford Alternative Music 20010.

Its almost impossible to describe APPARENTLY SO with out using the key word entertaining, they fit in to a wide appealing style of music and are quite fun to see live, with the singer/front mans showman like abilities and cheeky faced expressions engaging the audience throughout. The vocals are quite punk like either that, or just badly sung and out of tune in places. A little tightening up in some vocal areas is all they need, but he delivers and performs so well and looks every inch as though he is enjoying what hes doing.
What a drummer! Complete with Sweep puppet attached to the kit, she pounded some great rhythms to the songs. There was also a Sit down acoustic section added to one of their tracks, adding to the breadth of their scope. Their cover of Gay Bar was held back till towards the end of their set which I think works well so you can see what they are capable of with their own really good material before unleashing a bit of amusement with a known fun cover.
A really enjoyable band to go and see, just some more in tune singing from the vocalist and movement from the other band members to improve what is always a good performance and one of the best front men a band could have.

ENRAGED HORIZON have some really enjoyable songs and can play them really well making you want to cry out for them to produce a C.D. so you can hear just how good they sound at any time.
Another band whose singer could do with more movement and keeping in tune is the only point of let down and did look slightly nervous up on stage, not without talent though, he can alternate between just singing and singing while playing guitar. The drumming is never boring or predictable with this band, certainly one of the best on the bill on the night. Their other guitarist added some atmospheric and trance like keyboards on one track, adding diversity to their range, while their Ted from Bill & Teds Excellent adventure like bassist added some great sliding bass work. One of my favourite local bands at the moment, Enraged Horizon have ambient soothing tunes and rock out numbers keeping their sound continually fresh.

KEEPER OF THE RIFLE were instantly recognisable as the most tightest and well practiced on the night, with the appearance of a biker band they are both heavy and melodic and a tad Sabbath like which is by no means a complaint from this reviewer. It was good to see their Haystack like bassist singing along to the songs and having fun while playing. Everything musically about this band is spot on, weather it be the intense energy of the drumming, guitars, or blues tinged vocals. This is a proper band with everything coming together to produce an awesome sound. I know some people on the night were really enthusing about them, so they certainly have something. As a complete band working together the same, the only thing that lacks, is more engagement with the crowd, tending to concentrate on the (faultless) playing over any showmanship, although this may be standing out more as this line up had more stand out front man people in the other bands. I still didnt get a C.D. which would again be really good to be able to listen to this bands output and skilful playing ability even more.

Just more movement on stage is needed from the popularity rising ENVY FOUR even if its just a timely walk about and a few poses, they seem to be leaving all the showmanship to their singer/guitarist who like their drummer, does a Stirling job in adding energy and engaging talent in to the performance. Musically, the band is just fine, with even a new song being performed, albeit karaoke style with an audience member holding the lyrics, the songs they have, add a tuneful pop punk party vibe like edge to the night. I can see so much potential in Envy Four they already have a burgeoning fan base and its easy to see where they draw their influences from, which hail from the likes of Green Day, Sum 41, All American Rejects etc; with added rock out sections blended to the sound and some extra growling vocals were added towards the end of the set, to very good effect, adding another dimension to the vocal duties and when done well - like how their guitarist does them, certainly carries it off to the songs advantage, perhaps more of their songs could incorporate them?
Still very much in their progenital stages I defiantly think with a few more gigs and experience under their belt, they can emerge as one of Bedford top front show runners.

I have yet to see CRIMSON DREAM have a live show which wasnt as good as their last! Adding more material and performing it well each time. They are like an anachronism of ye olde world styles that you could imagine performing around the time of Robin Hood or some Viking Valhalla. With metal stances and poses and intelligent sounding ambient soothers crafted in with the rock out metal fury; and man of the match to their drummer for providing the kit. I think some of their material, although sounding unique and original belies what drives your attention after a while, in that there seems to be a deficit of vocals on a lot of tracks, sounding clearly sung though they are, perhaps a bit more verbosity employment could amend.
They are a band in tune with their crowd, engaging with them well in some places while other times their singer/ bassist seemed more entertained with what his other band members were up to rather than working the audience him self.
Worthy contenders on the metal scene Crimson Dream have something to offer and adequately escape any usual metal cliches but bring some fresh new sounds to their main band sound.