Proud The Beast, Gingerbread Men.
Dannys Bar Lev 1 Esquires Bedford. Saturday 26th April 2014. NOTE: Photos (c) Bedford Alternative Music and were taken at Proud The Beast's previous (and first) gig at The Bear on Fri 25th April.
Someone said to me the other day that most of the gigs that I have reviewed recently have been too praising and not critical enough of the bands or artists that I have seen. In answer to that, this is because I see so many local shows over a weekend that now I only like to review gigs that I enjoy. Take this weekend for example, where Esquires have shows held in all three rooms over four successive nights. The Saturday show in the bar was always going to be my favourite and this is my account of it.
Of all the developing young bands that I saw circulating around the Bedford area last year, GINGERBREAD MEN were ones that really impressed. This duo features rappers Framework Dopey and Junior Canavan. Their aim is to combine old skool hop-hop and fuse it with 21st century attitude and lyrics. 2013 saw them release an eight track demo EP which was caustically entitled "Wreck it". Watching this genre of music live would have been unthinkable only a few short years ago, but the musical playing field has altered radically. The Pad Presents have bi-monthly shows here and local radio has also played a major part. Not the BBC or the independent station, but a visionary entrepreneur whose forethought has brought In2Beats 102.6 to the Bedfordian ears. It is an urban music station for a multi-cultural town.
Gingerbread Men shuffle on. An Apple computer is plugged in and ready. The duo send out a loud message to some fellas playing pool to stop their game and come listen. They begin with the brand new "Phat". This lively start gives way to my favourite song of theirs, namely "Gotta get up". The rapid fire delivery continues with "Wreck it". They spit out "who got the style?". My mind says that Gingerbread Men have. The backing sounds of "Scum of the earth" contain such a soulful vibe. No time is wasted in the set and they rightfully take their applause and immediately crack on with the next song. Another brand new one "Spit sour" also receives a welcome airing. The duo finish off confidently with a couple of familiar songs from last years EP. Firstly it is "Mellow" and "whole lotta love and a whole lotta drugs" is spat out with plenty of cheeky venom. "Pull it" is relevant to us all as the duo rap out "sitting at the bar in this dirty old town", although I'm not too sure about the following lyric of "no fear whatsoever"! A fine set by two keen and likeable lads, full of originality. I did miss seeing their colourful and wacky spectacles though as unfortunately they did not wear them this evening.
Although we only have two bands tonight, the quality is maintained with my first sighting of PROUD THE BEAST . They contain a few familiar faces and comprise James Moverly (vocals, rhythm), Romano Wiseman (vocals, bass), Tom Rogers (drums) and James Cocker (lead). Their jaunty indie sound is polished and presented with confidence. Their seven song set features original compositions and a couple of covers. One is a speeded up reworking of Police's "Message in a bottle" which I enjoyed a lot more than the turgid original. There is minimal chat, except for a few "thanks for coming" shouts. This is always a welcome plus for this reviewer. While watching Proud The Beast my mind wanders back to circa 2005-8 when indie bands of this ilk were commonplace here at Esquires. I do hope that this particular musical conveyor belt can start up again as the sound is always uplifting. The smooth driving meolodies of songs such as "September" and "Future" are high watermarks. Despite the sparse population of the bar, there is no freeze on fun as these lads play with exhilarating intensity. These beasts can certainly be proud of their efforts this evening!
Review by Martin Stapleton. www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk