Pearl Handled Revolver, Simpletone.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. Saturday 12th December 2015.

Attending a PEARL HANDLED REVOLVER gig isn’t just about their wide range of songs that you are going to hear, no its more, much more than that. It’s also about getting the all important stage presentation just right, so that it creates the perfect ambience. P.H.R. are perhaps the only band who appear at Esquires on a regular basis who constantly put a great deal of detail into how everything looks to the eye. Firstly, they fixed a huge oatmeal coloured Hessian sheet right across the back wall, plus on the top structure of the stage. Wow! just how much brighter and lighter this made it appear to my gaze. Secondly, they projected images from the back of the room that seemingly enhanced the venues basic house lighting set up. The look that it created was simply brilliant.

A small minute effort on the bands part, but so effective. It’s a real pity that not more bands don’t put some creative emphasis into their presentation. The only ones I can remember who tried on this front, on a constant basis were Metallers HeKz, a few years ago. With their psychedelic visuals in place, the sound simply takes care of itself.

Pearl Handled Revolver gain hugely by having such damn good musicians, who constantly ply such smooth blues rock, all fused in with some chunky, funky vibes, which emanate from the skilful fingers of organist maestro Simon Rinaldo, with dependable Chris Thatcher adding not only his metronomic drum beats, but some contrasting vocals, its left to Andy Paris to calmly and nonchantly pluck his guitar strings, as well as chipping in with some backing vocalist Lee Vernon, who acts as the bands genial host for the evening. Craggy faced and as with the rest of the band, sporting some facial hair, it’s the permanently etched, cheeky grinning Lee who guides us through what is to be one of my most favourite Esquires gigs of 2015. Indeed, as the seasoned Sunday afternoon sessions regular Mr. Nigel Grodde tells me at the shows end, “They just get better and better boy.” Dead right Nige! A softly spoken, but somewhat spooky and eerie intro, begin the proceedings, which then breaks into Rabbit Hole. Many of the songs that they play tonight will feature on the bands forthcoming third album, (although it’s their first as a quartet) which they hope to release around “March time.” Abstinthe was written while Lee was “Drinking it!” the staxesque stomper Loverman, is you’ve guessed it “For all the lovermen” in attendance. Honeycomb is slower and emotionally powerful for all the long time fans, its pleasing to hear again Going Down, which appeared on the first E.P. back in 2009. This is a most underrated oldie and one where P.H.R. are definitely “Giving it a bejazzle.” With the band initially all smart and debonairly attired, it’s not to be too long before some items of clothing are firstly loosened, or ultimately removed. Mr. Vernon has a rich philosophical approach to the rigours of performing on a bright, hot, sweat inducing stage, by admitting “You aint earned yer money unless yer hairs wet.” His cheeky grin is now to be found at its broadest.

Family and friends are very important to Pearl Handled Revolver, indeed an abundance of both are here, clapping and cheering throughout. Lee’s mum may or may not be playing her own game of Bingo tonight, while Into The Blue is performed “For Olivia.” The popular Rattle Your Bones of course comes from 2013’s This Mountain Waits from that same album, Hello Mary, complete with its heady and intoxicating riff, continues to be my favourite P.H.R. song. This is where the talented quartet really pull together to create something utterly special. A full on earworm. As the set draws to the inevitable closure, the distinctive gravely Vernon Drawl comes to the fore with Peace By Piece.

Indeed, our aforementioned host does bemoan the fact that sadly he was “Born in Olney and not Kentucky!”, and he means the place, not the finger lickin establishment of course! With a dozen of the best in our memory banks, the fellas reappear for a most welcome encore. With a vast collection of songs now at their disposal, we are left to savour You Got It Wrong. We certainly didn’t lads, everybody got it right for a most brilliant evening. Well done to all concerned.

The prestigious support slot to P.H.R. Was awarded to THE SIMPLETONE, a classic heavy blues rock band from ‘just up the road’ in St Neots. (A review of their recent Dark Matter album can be found in the relative B.A.M. section). This is their mainstage debut. Having seen their downstairs show in the bar earlier on in the year, I feel they continued their good impression of that night to win along a few more Bedford fans. A stellar arsenal of songs open with Rich Man Stick Man. Their confident frontman Glen Eastoe explains that it “Tells the story of a grotesquely rich man who dies whilst climbing his marble encrusted stairs.” Now Your Down And Out is shouted out with a rabid satisfaction. As I have witnessed before with The Simpletone, alcohol plays a huge part of their set. They like a pint of beer on stage and also pluck out a full bottle of Jack Daniels, which is kindly passed to the front row of the crowd. While the quartet perform the appropriately entitled Whisky Head, the attendees are busily swigging from the large bottle. Getting his beloved alcoholic tipple back does prove to be quite tricky at the songs end. The Saturday night party drinkers certainly are out in force and make good use of the freebie!

Stormchaser is for the moshers on the raised wooden floor of the ‘acid pit.’ “Hope your feet aren’t getting burnt?” the vocalist concernly asks. Black Box is to be honest, a bit of a disaster. Initially it “Goes out to non voters” and bizarrely “Greens?” however an immense amount of technical problems dogged this song. Perhaps the singer’s lack of hand control of his microphone didn’t help, as the constant loud bangs of it striking the stage floor could not have done it any good. To finish, there was also a noticeable little strop when their asked for encore was denied. This rather tainted what was an otherwise enjoyable set. Perhaps a tad too much alcohol?

Review by Martin Stapleton.