Fenix Fire + In Remission + Alias + Sever the Strings + Radiating Eyes (Acoustic Set) - 11th April 2009
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
The showcase Thursdays which last three weeks reached its pinnacle with Bedford Alternative music's much anticipated monster gigs on Level 2.
Prior to the four band on show Ben And Dazz from The Radiating Eyes played a short acoustic set. 'Suicide Notes And Anecdotes' is imaginatively arranged as mid song the boys introduce some light reggae. The duo who are known for their stage dynamic even try to work this into their acoustic set which does make for some interesting viewing.
After seeing Sever The Strings remain very static in the rather small confines of Danny's Bar recently, I expected them to fully express themselves on the large stage. Disappointingly these metallers failed both in their stage presence and overall. Song structures it was certainly a tiresome thirty minutes. There was to be a total lack of charisma and fails to rise out of a mire of mediocrity.
Much more to my liking was Alias. They carried on the excellent impression they created a couple of weeks ago. Its laid back indie blues rock is without doubt a notch above all else on show this evening. Their patter is short and sweet with '24 Wasted Hours' the pick of such a clutch of good tunes.
In Remission are certainly the most vibrant and striking of all the bands tonight. Their confidence is all to evident. They rock hard, but throw themselves around the stage in a way that gets maximum audience participation. The set includes some meaty songs with excellent riffs, but are sometimes let down by some weak vocals. Having said that, I would feel that In Remission are a band that I will grow to like in time.
Headliners Fenix Fire return with, thankfully, their bass player Johnny joining them this time. Its also his birthday, so the quartet are well up for a party. It's a long journey for the Nottingham based rockers but they are appreciated by the locals in attendance. The band are due to start recording an album later this month and one would purchase it just for the magnificent song called 'Foundations' which they so confidently performed. The disadvantage of living so far away is natural handicap but I would hope that the tie-ups formed by local born guitarist Rory is continued. The vocalist who has instant appeal once again has quite a fixation with his trusty bottle of whiskey.