OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE
with Filthy Visuals, Lost Whilst Live and Casual Panic.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Saturday 11th May 2013.

It’s always good to come across a new band that you haven’t come across before and CASUAL PANIC Were just that! From Buckingham and well practiced, no messing and faffing around, getting straight in to an entertaining well played set. There was simply nothing wrong with this band.
Their singer/bassist with mop blond froth of hair reminding me of a younger Billy Idol consummately delivered a worthy performance announcing at one point that everybody likes a bit of funk, well I certainly liked their funky track. It struck me as odd that their guitarist seemed to be very much in the background keeping a low key profile with not much movement, considering his guitar work ability was rather good allowing some of their songs to be heavier rock out blast anthems. A good interest holding band to entertain an opening slot.

A last minute replacement slot allowed LOST WHILST LIVE to bring us their evidently well practiced set. From Luton and all dragging their equipment by train to get here, they delivered a set that would surely fail to be un entertaining. It certainly wasn’t the same all the way through. We had on offer some of their own material, a few covers and a song where their drummer and singer came up front to sit on the stage together to deliver a vocal duet to add variety to their set. Between their own songs we had a lively Blur, Song 2. And the Linking Park track famous for the record breaking long screeeeeeeeeam . Although I don’t think the singer held the note as long as the original Linking song. Its good that they have a good front man who interacts with the audience between songs with just the right balance of banter without being over verbose; perhaps wavering out of tune in some songs but an entertaining set non the less and impossible to say they were samey all the way through.

One of my fave bands next; was it the time of month or close to the previous memorable lev 1 show, FILTHY VISUALS did not quite attain their usual bigger following but were the first band of the evening to draw the (rather sparse) crowd to the front. Starting with a very new song and making the set refreshing with new material and injecting an also refreshing warm welcome when older songs we know are used to in to the set. Jolene was their choice of a few covers they have in their repertoire which again is a refreshing addition to add in amongst all their own material. A well chosen crafted set list for their gig.
Stupidly good drumming describes their sticksmith with acrobatic twirls of the sticks between drum blasts, you would think he has his sticks suspended on invisible strings at times, a pleasure to watch and a trait you would miss if you were not up the front.
Their singer (the lovely Steff) has a proper singing voice as oppose to someone just having a go, it had flair, a touch of individuality and strength to blast out some songs with power and verve. Solid bass work and well played guitar from their racoon painted guitarist adding to their sound, nothing over emphasised on movement, just short squats of the legs between playing, concentrating I presume more on accuracy. They seemed to be enjoying it on stage at this gig and are a band going from strength to strength. The futures Filthy!

Ill end this review in the same abrupt style of the headlining band in order to keep in theme with their set. It was soo good to see OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE throughout the night watching the other bands perform as opposed to just skulking in the band room pissing it up like a goodun, if only more bands had their welcome attitude. At first I thought that they had not got the same strong vocal delivery as the previous band until the mic was switched on, a slight hiccup but was soon rectified and OS proved they can blast out a powerhouse of vocals in addition to the other instruments giving us a sassy wonderfully sleazy rock act that sounds vibrant and able to easily compete with other bands of their stature. It kind of sounded good all the way through without any distinguishing stand out moments. I think it was their second song where a spontaneous mini mosh pit erupted right at the very front with visitors and previous band members diving in to the frenzied mêlée. It was short lived though and never erupted again making wonder if the band wished they had more faster stronger songs to cater for any further mosh blasts. I certainly think one of the highlights for me was whe………
There you go, I ended the review of this enjoyable gig in the same sudden abrupt ending that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder an enjoyable band I recommend you see ended their set. Good night.



Review Two by Martin.

Amidst the withered flora of modern pop, there are thankfully still some underground musicians who are flogging their guts out. Steering the dear old battered van around all parts of the country and doing their utmost to raise our consciousness for all things fresh and creative. One such talent is OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE. They formed a few years ago and Esquires has been blessed with their presence many times. Indeed, I first saw them here back on 23rd July 2004 (a bill that, for the trivia freaks amongst you, included My Bad Self, Lethal Peach and Mazuma Fly). At that time they had just recorded their "A Demon For Every Occasion" EP. Totally alternative in looks, the band are still fronted by the vivacious and oh so dynamic Kelii. This Manchester quartet are impossible to pin down and pigeonhole. Inspired by punk, hooked by metal, spliced with grunge and filled with rock. Their mighty amps give a huge clue to their philosophy of life up and down the byways, visiting countless venues. Written in bold letters is the telling mantra "I speak my truth I wear my scars".
Although tonight is not that busy, a few keen attendees still strike up an impromptu mosh pit spat. It's all in good keeping with a genuinely exhilarating set. Kelii is more than appreciative; "Cheers Bedford for coming out". She speaks from a lot of experience, witnessing the ups and downs of the nation's venues. The pace never slackens. Another show that has given value for money is over and it is time for Obsessive Compulsive to climb aboard their vehicle and head off for another gig tomorrow. Nice to see you again.

After the successful launch night of their second EP recently, Bedfordshire's bright young things FILTHY VISUALS returned to the main stage. I was rather taken aback when bassist James informed me that the first two songs to be performed were brand new compositions. This is always such a risky gamble, but in both "Cupid Stunt" and "Cry Baby" they handsomely succeeded. Being such prolific songwriters and having so much of their material at their immediate disposal, I admit I was slightly baffled when they covered "Plug In Baby" by Muse. However, an excellent rendition of "Jolene" is brilliant fun. Even I wave and sway in unison! Stef explains that "it's one of our favourites" before adding "and it's older than us"! Melting down PJ Harvey and Cranberries' records into one 'gooey' whole and remoulding the resulting blob into a chirpy lady-led pop shape, we arrive at a song entitled "You'll Survive". For Filthy Visuals, their attention to detail is crucial, vital even. With eyeliner and copious daubs of make up enhancing their stage presence, it proves that a good band are made up of more than just the sound that hits your ears. Bittersweet lyrics enchant and dovetail with their gorgeous melodies. I feel there is just as much soul here as with any purveyor of R 'n' B. Stef's 'love' dress is also worthy of a special mention. The quartet close with "Useful Idiot", the title of the aformentioned EP. What of this composition? Well it's a brooding and deceptively simple epic, much like the band methinks!

Making their Esquires debut are CASUAL PANIC. These fresh young shavers hail from Buckingham MK. They are a minor revelation. They show no noticeable nerves and display an admirable air of boundless confidence. They effortlessly breezed through a technically skilled performance. They did admit that this eight song set is the heaviest of the compositions that they have written. It is classic guitar based indie and on many occasions there are some quite long instrumental parts. The lads seem to eagerly seize on these and have fun rocking out. Keeping chat to a barest minimum, they engagingly remark that "everyone can relate to a bit of funk". As a disciple of DJ Robbie Vincent, I most certainly can fella! They tantalise with "Sights" and score highly with "Hot Air". "Making the right noises"? Yes. Casual Panic certainly did it for me, very loudly!

Filling in at very very short notice for Vendetta are LOST WHILST LIVE. It's my second viewing of this band and I'm still struggling to grasp just what they are trying to achieve. A set that throws up (I almost did) play school punk chugging blindly into a kind of herky jerky grunge pot. It still ends up sounding like silly bollocks. The between song chat is tiresome and boring, as is their introduction to the band slot. When they talk about their heavy equipment, it is done in a rather dumbed down way such as "we had to carry this crap innit". On the plus side, they have plenty of energy, some intricate guitar skills and they stayed and supported all the other bands.
However, they are not my choice of musical drug - sorry!