Insomnia supported by Dead Pheasant, Eesifreek and Punktuation.
Friday 23 March 2001, Bedford Esquires.

Due to arriving late I had missed openers Punktuation's set, just in the middle of Eesifreek displaying their wares. Their grunge/alternative rock direction didn't do much for me, coming across as a more noisy Pearl Jam, yet they did have stage presence, especially the frontman, who was constantly trying to stir up the audience. The response was muted however, with only a few sporadic moshpits springing up.

The third band on the bill, Dead Pheasant, have been on the Bedford gig scene for a few months now and they still haven't improved, coming across onstage as a mixture of Pearl Jam and Metallica, with some vague metal influences in their riffs. Pearl jam certainly seems to be a big influence on this new spate of grungy bands that play In Esquires. However their lack of stage presence or good vocals worked against them, leaving the punters indifferent apart from a few of ther friends.

And so to the headliners. Even though I was sceptical at first, they displayed a surprising songwrinting prowess and understanding of atmospherics. The muddy sound mix was dissapointing yet they often managed to overcome it through the sheer passion of their performance. Several influences come to mind, such as Sonic Youth and a slight towards the nu-metal in the heavy choruses. They also reminded me of At The Drive In, but without the dire vocals. The band looked like they were enjoying themselves, the two guitarists throwing themselves around the stage with great enthusiasm during the heavier sections. However, the frontman could do with a more interesting image, which could add to his stage presence, marred by his simple faded black clothes and a lack of eye contact with the audience.

So, overall an average gig, mostly due to the uninspiring support bands and a tendency to be overcome by their influences, with a lack of catchy songs or interesting hooks. It was OK for a Friday night though, giving the punters an excuse to go out instead of having to face the indie tedium of Lowgold on Saturday.

Peter Burov