THE OTHER TRIBE,
with Sons Of Guns and The Scruff.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Friday 9th October 2012.

They do say that variety is the spice of life and music at Esquires is certainly no different. It was with a degree of both expectation and trepidation that I awaited the appearance of THE OTHER TRIBE. Over the past twenty years, the Bristol area has been a rich fertile area for all things danceable; Portishead, Roni Size (Reprazent) and Massive Attack to name just a few. There must be something in the water as the six piece Other Tribe continue in the South West's long notable tradition in this particular musical sphere.
The Other Tribe are here at Esquires courtesy of The Pad Presents. Their appearance represents something of a warm up for the band's extensive nationwide tour next month. As a relative Other Tribe 'virgin', I can honestly say that at the end of their forty minute set I was well and truly converted. Their stage presence was superb and one of the best choreographed shows that I have seen here in a very long time. On a damp and wet October evening, these party people successfully converted the main stage room into an Ibiza club on a hot summer night! Visually these lads look terrific, plenty of face paint and wacky costumes. Thankfully no-one from RSPB was in attendance as one of the Tribe had enough feathers in his hair to suggest that a whole flock of pheasants had been slaughtered for the cause. Musically, The Other Tribe contain the DNA of Shamen, Klaxons and The Village People and a vocalist who, if this band fails, could and should form a Bronski Beat and Communards tribute act. His voice is so reminiscent of wee Jimmy Somerville. Sadly on the downside for this reviewer, they do contain an Apple mac laptop, but they do score highly for containing a manic bongo player. He is fascinating to observe and my highlight and star of the show. I suppose that for the real afficionados of this genre of music, this band could be accused of leaning towards the poppy and commercial, but try telling that to the majority of this party mad crowd during their set. The paying public just want to put their hands up in the air and dance around as The Other Tribe put their infectious groove on. Also for tonight and as a fashion statement, "Skirts" is only a song and not a clothing option for gig goers.

Opening are Hitchin three piece SONS OF GUNS, lauded by Artrocker magazine who awarded them three stars for their album "I'm not a battleship" last year. They wrote "Sons Of Guns are far more than your average electro troubadours" and also called the album "schizophrenic". High praise indeed. With the keyboardist and bassist sharing singing duties, this does seem to fluctuate throughout with a rocky dance vibe vying incessantly with the rather gothy female vocals. Stage presence is not a strong part of this band's armoury, although that could be partly due to their physical well being which is not the best as they admit "I'm sorry, we've all got horrible infections". However, it is very hard to decipher just what Sons Of Guns are aiming at. I feel that I am not alone as the early assembled also look quizzical at the action, or lack of, on stage. Apparently they have songs that go "mental"? Not sure on that! A few CDs are randomly distributed but they tell us that you can get most of their songs online for free. Sons Of Guns honestly admit that they are "not very good at making money". A rather tedious set and perhaps best heard on record.
Although many people may have had slight reservations about Sons Of Guns, there are no such worries for them when -

The SCRUFF arrive on stage. These local indie faves immediately garner a small but flourishing mosh pit. The chirpy and confident trio seem pleased to return to Esquires as they announce "It's lovely to be back". Very much out of kilter with the rest of the evening, I soon get rather tired of their predictable and overtly laddish behaviour. 'The Scruffmites' lap it up of course and the banter continues throughout the set. "Leave it alone" contains an 'epic' guitar wielding intro before it drops into the inevitable. Emphasis on the song title. They are all immaculately attired, but it is not long before "the jackets are coming off". Although this reviewer is reluctant to give The Scruff a 'big up', the boys thought that "Everything was just fine". So did their followers.