Sever the Strings + Tombstone Bullets + Alias + Watch the Walls - 02rd April 2009
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
Bedford Alternative Music at Danny's bar saw the last of the trilogy of heats prior to the 'monster' evening on level 2 next week. As a genuine favour for their enthusiasm a fortnight ago, promoter Keith Pickering gave young punks Watch The Walls a return visit. Thankfully, tonight they did not let him down. The performance was altogether more polished . The youngsters Matthew Watts (vocals, guitar), Andrew Stevens (bass) and Dan Clarke (drums) concentrated firmly on their playing ability. A smattering of American punk covers is woven in with a few of their own compositions. The closing "You know" is possibly the most impressive. Apart from a rather disjointed ending, "The gay song", which is a touch slower, is also performed well.
Alias are, without doubt, the stand out band of the evening. Comprising Duncan Wilson (guitar), Andy Green (bass), Ed Holdstock (drums) and Tom Kitchiner (vocals, guitar), fans of The Ten Year Prospect (local band of a few years ago) would be interested to see this quartet. This indie rock collective also like to ply us with a smattering of blues guitar work. Their appearance, like their technical ability, stands out and is very smart, suited and booted. They begin strongly with "24 wasted hours". Confidently Tom announces "Good evening and welcome to the Alias show". "Devils in the dark" is the jewel in the crown. Beautiful, as Tom's throaty drawl aligns itself perfectly to the jazzy-blues undercurrents. A contrast is to be found with "Things and vultures". A real burst of stonesy blues-fuelled rock. It's also good to see a young drummer who is not afraid to larrup his equipment, although I am not sure about his 'Cantona-esque' dalliance with his starched shirt collar! For those people who love to study the intricate work of a guitarist, this was the band to watch close up. The sensational ear-splitting outro at the end of the set deservedly earned rich applause.
Almost in the same vein are Tombstone Bullets, who offer a more spiky psychedelic blues rock sound. From Milton Keynes, they are Alec Plowman (guitar, vocals), Josh Brewin (lead guitar), Rich Taylor (bass, vocals) and Ewan Cairns (drums). Again very confident and assured, they start well with "Grocery store". The two guitarists either side of the vocalist complement each other well. especially Josh who, in the small confines of the bar, shows tremendous flair. He seems cocooned in his own guitar world for most of the time. Alec's vocals also suit each particular song, either powefully delivered or hauntingly fragile.
In comparison to the previous two bands, Sever The Strings really struggle to interest me. They look as if they have arrived straight from the G20 demonstration in London! The vocalist wears a ripped pair of jeans that are ripe for discussion. Surprisingly for a metal band, he's constantly smiling! One of the guitarists wears a bandanna and plays a stunningly shaped guitar that really captures the eyes. The set's stand out song is "Annihilation". A winding guitar intro kicks it all off. Energy and perspiration exude from the boys on this one. In fact, at it's end, Sever The Strings looked well and truly spent as they dropped their instruments and took their applause.