John Peel Day - The Delinquents, Conflict Theory, Blind Theory, Fistfights and Brakelights - Esquires, 13th October 2005
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
In conjunction with the rest of the country, John Peel day was celebrated here with at least 100 people giving their support and their money to the memory of the legendary DJ and The British Heart Foundation.
Making their debut tonight was the extravagantly named Fistfights and Brakelights (apparently the name came about when a mate of a band member saw his girlfriend in another guy's car!). This System of a Down influenced band certainly didn't show any nerves as the guitarist coaxed impressive feedback from his amp whilst the lead singer Tony had a voice which sounded like he had been gargling with six inch nails. It certainly was a lively start and I particularly enjoyed the track 'Let's Name Our Kids Before They Kill Us' which featured a soft intro before exploding into a deafening crescendo!
Fresh from their support slot with Brigade a couple of weeks ago, Blind Theory delivered a superb crowd-pleasing set as all the moshers at the front were sent into a frenzy. Their set of pop-punk flew by, and the track 'Memories' particularly stood out.
After Blind Theory we were treated to The Conflict Theory. A five piece metal band from Luton, they describe their sound as 'combining technical riffs with tuneful screaming and heartfelt lyrics to produce something unlike any other band in our area'. The songs 'Just One More Night' and 'Intent' made sure that everyone was moshing.
Esquires then gave a warm welcome to another band making their debut, The Delinquents. A good, old-fashioned, no nonsense, no songs over two minutes punk band, the songs came thick and extremely fast! Frontman 'Mullet' gave as good as he got from the hecklers and assisted by Jay (bass) and Larkin (drums) their angst ridden lyrics were topped off by a unique punk version of a Van Morrison classic. These boys certainly lived up to their name.
A word of thanks must go to Adam who organised this charity evening and hearing segments of other Peel Tribute nights being broadcast by Radio 1 between bands really made this an event to remember.