Natives. Doghouse Roses, The Casters.

Holy Molys Lev 1 Bedford Esquires. Friday 6th June 2014.

From a grand stage in the Phillipines, supporting Red Hot Chilli Peppers amongst others, and a couple of weeks after their Slam Dunk appearance, I very much doubt that Bedford Esquires will register too highly when NATIVES look back and reflect at the end of their tour. Although I am not a fan, this rather samey set didn't really change my opinion . However, I did feel a touch sorry for this five piece from the New Forest as the room is fairly empty.
Natives purvey safe pop rock in a style not dissimilar to local faves Don Broco, but that is where the likeness ends. Rob and the boys are slick and charismatic and possess a magnetic presence. At this stage in their career Natives are mere understudies and, although in a different class, Jim Thomas gave Natives a frontman to admire. He deserved better tonight as at the end of the set the band took a photo of the front couple of rows of people who did bother to turn up and mosh. Jim kindly described them as "crazy bastards". Although Natives lack a certain sprinkle of stardust, they do have a brand new album out at present entitled "Indoor war". In the music press it has been described as a concept album and is about a person called Alvima. It is a brave venture for this type of band and tracks from this are naturally performed tonight.
Tonight's gig is held in Holy Moly's so perhaps that stunts their natural flair. I feel that bands in here can never truly visually express themselves as they would on the larger upstairs main stage. Although the sound is handled well, the stage is small, cramped and a little low. Natives are bouncy and inoffensive. Their frequent double drum work captures my eye. Indeed at one stage I catch three of them at it! "Ghosts" is the band's current single seems to impress the crowd as many camera phones are flashed. As Natives call time on their forty minute show, they ask the enthusiastic few in attendance to bounce up and down. It ends a rather surreal set that didn't really catch light.

THE CASTERS are one of the current young buzz bands that Bedford has to offer. They are a quartet who infuse a touch of blues into their indie rock stock. After impressing me at the recent George Ezra show here, I thought that the band tonight rather treated this gig as a bit of a joke as they lark and laugh with their mates who did bother to turn up.
"Masterplan" contains an "Anyway, anyhow, anywhere" type intro before settling down into something slightly more predictable. The lads introduce us to a new song which, rather honestly, they tell us "doesn't have a name". However, they are persuaded tonight by a fan to call it "Katie". It's a livelier one with a few "oi oi" shouts thrown in for good measure. Although "Breaking bad" invokes a few whoop whoops, it just seems that for most of their set The Casters are just going through the motions.

This week has seen DOGHOUSE ROSES spending copious hours locked up in the studio working on their debut EP. By all accounts things have gone extremely well. With this in mind, I know for certain that this hard-drinking anarchic quartet will be on top of their game for tonight's performance. As soon as opener "Swinging the bottle" is fired out I note that the overall volume has been cranked up considerably. Although an oldie from Wolf Law, it still sounds fresh and urgent and never dates. A new one called "Drive all night" is presented for our delectation and possesses the same country rock 'n' roll that the rest of the set offers, although I seem to feel that vocalist Sean Morris sings with more than a hint of Celtic verve. The lads appear naturally perky and are the smartest attired band on show. The Roses ooze a certain style; fashion gurus armed with waistcoats and jaunty hats. Drummer Jim Morton dons a tie. Did I even spot a pair of Oliver Sweeney shoes? They are all keenly fired up, no doubt already halfway through the obligatory gig quota of a pallet load of beers! It is thirsty work performing "Sons of liberty". "Never look back" stuns with its emotional power and the opening lyrics "Well there's a dark cloud rising, with all this talk about you and me", "We are the lost" offers up a question. Is guitarist Mark Emsley an angry purist or a neurotic purist? Possibly just Bill Bailey's lovechild! He manically bashes away at the strings and makes for compulsive watching either way. The band end with the self-titled "Doghouse Roses" which gives all their fans a chance to sing along.