I'm a Helicopter Blades Inspector, Elements of Refusal, Dead Kid, Judgemental - Thursday 16th February 2006
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
The Regular showcase Thursday featured four bands tonight who, except for the headliners, are new to the venue.
Three piece grunge orientated Judgemental open the evening. This Bedford outfit, featuring Dan O'Halo (lead guitar / vocals), Wee Dan (bass) and Sniggy (drums) offer a powerful sound but unfortunately the vocals are painfully weak and barely audible. This is not helped by the vocalists reluctance to stand up, preferring instead to sit down and practically whisper silently into the mic.
Post-Hardcore predominantly features in the next two bands. Firstly from North Herts are four piece dead kid who, in their own words. play music that is emotional, beautiful and above all, deadly as hell. From the off, Dead Kids are 'at it' as their vocalist Tom puts every sinew into their opening song 'Captain / Worship Variations'. With a group of their fans watching their every move from close to the front, this had all the hallmarks of being an exciting set.
The heavy strains of a backing track usher in 'Remember Kids, Fashion First' and 'Sobering Reality' features some great guitar work from Peter and Matt and ends with a terrific finale. 'The House' is a slower, more melancholic song with deadly wailing screams of 'This House is Dead'. Final song 'Red Shoes' ends The Dead Kid experience but a special mention must go to Dave for his pulsating drumming that propels the band forward.
The high standards of the evening are maintained by Luton's Elements of Refusal, who just absolutely put my brain out of place with their collection of tunes.
They launch their set with 'The Five and a Half Minute Hallway' which jolts everyone's senses and grabs their attention. 'Stationary in Orbit' starts with a fair degree of screaming including the truly fearsome sight of vocalist Jon having a stand-up verbal disagreement with his mic. Considering the amount of gigs and venues that this band have played recently the gut-wrenching passion that when into this set was absolutely immense. 'Morning Star' could have been about the much maligned newspaper but what was immediately apparent was that drummer Simon was actually vibrating as he pounded his kit. Elements of Refusals set eventually reached a head-spinning conclusion.
FOr the finale, the most unusual and surreal name for a band has to be I'm a Helicopter Blade Inspector. This three piece comprise of Dan Flay (vocals / guitar), Jamie Randall (bass) and Craig Seymour (drums / vocals). This was a complete change in sound and direction for the evening as these Huntingdon boys produce a sound that brings to mind the much underrated Lowgold. Opening with 'The Protagonist', essentially a stripped down country song, it is followed by their eulogy to Spiderman's girlfriend, the actress Kirsten Dunst. This songs is featured on their album and it is probably as loud as the band gets and it explodes into a frenzy of noise. The set ends with 'Ninety Nine Nine', which Dan explains has nothing to do with ice-creams!