SEASONS IN WRECKAGE
with Elephantis, Sykopath Condor.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Saturday 19th January 2013.

There may be a thick layer of snow on the ground and Dancing On Ice comes to Bedford, but credit should be given to the three bands who have, in some cases, travelled many miles to give us regulars our usual Saturday evening fix of live music here at Esquires. Tonight we 'shoot up' with a large helping of rock 'n' metal.

First on, and probably leaving the biggest impression, are SYKOPATH CONDOR. Southern blues rock from Southern Bedfordshire. This four piece opt for a classic sound which conjures up vivid images of Zeppelin, psyche rock and all wrapped up within the appropriate drawl which is delivered with a modern K.O.L twang. Vocalist George warms up the crowd with a loud rasping roar of "Are you ready to rock?".
Bedford's very few but hardy individuals have braved the cold elements, but are slightly reticent. Their interest perks up with "Fire And Blood". It's a song that was released a couple of months ago. The resulting disc is handed out to everybody post-gig, which I always think is a a nice touch. "Hear Them Coming" is a composition close to these lads hearts and minds, probably as it was conceived and written on the M1 motorway after a gig in Camden and the help of a few "special cigarettes"! Frontman George is a real character. He interacts at all times.
Sometimes it takes a while for his voicebox to cotton on to what his hands have been trying to say as he air guitars to most of the set! He's never afraid to sprinkle a "Hell yeah" into the mix. "Under The Grey Sky" is a "slow one", while the band perform a fine cover of "Green Machine" by Kyuss. They lightheartedly say that its to "liven things up". "This Body" is a recently written song. Sykopath Condor are all on a high as last Monday they played a gig at the prestigious Dublin Castle venue, which they enjoyed enormously. "Till Its Gone" sees the band try unsuccessfully to get the crowd to sing along to the chorus. Even the 'Vedderesque' George cannot make this happen! This is Bedford dear boy, we're very shy and reserved! "Burn It Down" is described as their encore and garners a loud, primal collective scream from the band at it's close.

I believe that the following two bands are on a short joint tour together and deserve huge praise for getting to Bedford. First to come bounding out of the proverbial musical traps are ELEPHANTIS. For this reviewer, they are immediately off to a bad start with that rather hideous band name. As more of a fan of full on, brutal in yer face hardcore, unfortunately Elephantis veer more on the melodic side which, at times, means the three S's, namely slow, sleepy and shouty. "Leo" is fairly energetic, but with little variation it's all fairly forgettable.

In a similar vein are SEASONS IN WRECKAGE who hail from the naval place of Portsmouth. As with their tourmates, their set is more colonic than melodic with no discernable substance. With ten a penny rifferama allied to the usual pro rata shouting, it all adds up to something slightly underwhelming. To their credit, they do demonstrate good stage presence, even in these limited confines. Their guitarist is a real gem and fun to watch as he constantly spins around and jumps up and down. With so many bands ploughing this furrow, Seasons of Wreckage plod on endlessly at the same pace throughout. I yearn for more shade to balance up the long periods of light. Most people I spoke to were of a similar opinion at the band's end. Enthusiastic but ultimately, as with Elephantis, quite forgettable. They certainly did not "rip our faces off".