Cravenfest II - 16th September 2006
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton

After the success last year of the inaugural 'Cravenfest', the 'old metal man' certainly didn't sit on his laurels. This year he thought that Level 2 alone was not enough to sate his appetite and, quite unbelievably, decided to incorporate the whole of Esquires into a 3 venue festival - Level 2, the Level 1 disco and Danny's Bar (the latter featuring the cream of local acoustic talent). A gamble? A foolhardy idea? Well, if the hordes of young music fans (and some old ones) who flooded into today were anything to go by, then I have to say it was a masterstroke by Mr Craven. 22 bands and 7 acoustic acts kept the folks happy for near on 9 hours. Having positioned myself in the usual place on Level 2, this is my account of the unfolding events of the day:

  • 2:15pm - Hypo Psycho
    An American Band who open the day with a blazing set of Green Day like Punk and a lead singer who have the charismatic posturings of a young Iggy Pop!

  • 3:00pm - Gain
    My, how these boys are maturing into a fully fledged rock outfit. It all so effortlessly clicked into gear. 'Rockin' gets the audience warmed up while 'Tommy's Dead' deals the final blow.

  • 3:30pm - Mash and Rich
    Ex-Last Man Standing versus The Delinquents. The boys have a laugh and strum some tunes, including their rendition of 'Perfect'.

  • 3:45pm - His and Herpes
    The 'Herps' seem to be gaining more and more confidence as well as some new songs. Tobi's drumming was superb and there was a guest appearance by Doubting Thomas' vocalist.

  • 4:15pm - Liam Vernon
    Danny's Bar is packed as this hugely populat young man keeps us entertain with his songs of a rich Irish flavour. His massive ovation is very well deserved.

  • 4:30pm - Scratchplate
    Robbie and the lads breeze though a variety of predominantly covers, including an unique take on 'My Generation'.

  • 5:15pm - The Smoking Hearts
    Loud, arrogant, idiosyncratic, don't give a **** - Their fans lapped it up.

  • 6:00pm - Delphian Complex
    Great to see this band back here. Indie Electronica at it's best and a total joy from start to finish.

  • 6:45pm - Losing Sun
    Currently on tour, the performance is heavy and intenst and, with 'Interrogation', they have a great song.

  • 7:15pm - Liam Vernon
    Sadly 'Big Liam' had by this time sunk too many ciders.

  • 7:30pm - Henry and the Bleeders
    My only venture into Level 1 is to catch these boys. Well worth it as The Crew join them on stage and the mosh pit is a slightly hazardous place to be!

  • 8:15pm - Hekz
    The most exciting local young rock act. Presently showcasing their excellent mini-album exodus, as ever it is a great show and fifth Hekzer 'Keef' is there to give some assistance.

  • 9:00pm - New Groove Formation
    Second successfive Cravenfest for this nine piece Ska band who specialised once again in getting maximum audience participation.

  • 9:45pm - Juniper Hollow
    An emotional evening for these four lads, as a headline slot on Level 2 is their final gig. Mischa thanks everybody as they boe out to 'Bulls on Parade' with B.L.B. ringing in their ears.

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