Cravenfest 40!! - Esquires, 17th September 2005
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
Cravenfest 40 was the festival that the Bedford Alternative music scene has been crying out for. This inaugural bash (hopefully the first of many) was a party to mark the 40th birthday of Paul 'the old git' Craven, but the main attraction was the wide array of musical talent on show!
Opening the proceedings where Delicate Children, who managed to quench the thirst of their fans with a superb set of vocals and demented guitar sounds. A sonic boom to start the evening!
As much as I have criticized Doubting Thomas in the past tonight, having witnessed their superb visual performance allied to their strong set, I have to offer my apologies. Appearing with their faces painted like bizarre Robbie Williams clones they overcome technical problems with great stoicism. The added bonus was Bedford Metal supremo Keith providing guest vocals whilst also looking the part. Doubting Thomas - let them entertain you!
Summerfall filled the next slot and were as assured as ever.
However the next act, New Groove Formation, absolutely blew the venue apart with their Ska/Reggae/Jazz/Funk tunes. Arriving on stage to be confronted by a sparse looking mosh pit, within minutes these boys' vibes summoned everyone to the front of the stage, arms swaying, heads nodding, bodies moving - what a transformation!
As the Ska sounds faded into the memories of the greatful crowd, who could be called on to provide a different slant to the evening? It had to be 'the Stray Cats on acid', aka Henry and the Bleeders. On a personal note I have to thank the boys immensely for their cover version of Ewan McColls 'Dirty Old Town', a song of course made popular by a band without equal, The Pogues. With tonight also marking the birthday of band member Quincy, Henry and the Bleeders were on top form.
Blackout followed with their usual awesome set that leaves me gobsmacked every time I see them. They respect I have for this powerful band is immense.
Dummy Run are quite an experienced outfit in comparison to their younger peers tonight and their rendition of Green Day like American Punk fills a gap perfectly.
In contract, the Neptunium sounds of Fell Silent detonated into an orgy of Thallium sounds. (Eh? - Esquires Editor)
So, amongst all these young upstarts we had the grandfathers of the local music scene - old skool Punk legends The Tendons. These boys were on top form as John exchanged banter with the teenage metalheads in the mosh pit. It certainly added a certain edge to their song 'Schoolgirl Teaser'! The surprise appearance of Tendonette Emily was also a treat as she put in a fine performance.
The penultimate act were Bent Like Bob who continued to hone their metal/punk sound. The crowd lapped them up and to their credit stayed for headline act The Next Nine Years, who had travelled all the way from deepest South Wales to celebrate the birthday of Mr Paul Craven. An excellent evening which Paul fully deserved - I'll see you all at Cravenfest 80!