The Next Nine Years, Bent Like Bob, Facade, the Return, Under Foreign Order - Esquires, Friday 29th July 2005
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
Tonight at a near full venue we witness five young and extremely exuberant bands.
Opening up are Under Foreign Order who play a sparky twenty-five minute set. Their angst ridden lead singer vented his spleen with real feeling and although this five piece initially appeared slightly nervous, they soon got the crowd jumping!
Swindon may not be at the forefront of the British Music scene (What about XTC? - Eighties Ed) but having witnessed The Return tonight, that may soon all change. Making their debut at Esquires this was a good as performance as you could wish to see. Taking their influences from Nirvana, The Strokes and The Libertines, The Return play British rock that spans the ages - from the Kinks to Bloc Party. Their high octane set, highlights of which included the songs 'Fire' and '10.4', made for a highly enjoyable thirty minutes and I for one hope see we see a return to Esquires of The Return - top effort!
In light of The Return's set, The Facade suffered in comparison. They appeared to be a very tight and competent band, and a large section of the audience appeared to be enthralled, but they didn't really do it for me.
2005 has seen a bumper crop of new local bands that have emerged phoenix like from a previous moribund music scene. Tonight it is the turn of Bent Like Bob, riding high on the wave of their sensational new mini-Album, 'Assisted Assault'. These are exciting times for them and their performance tonight demonstrates why. As well as old favourites, the boys showed that their rich vein of song writing form shows no sign of abating with some exciting new songs. This was a great set which had the crowd moshing like there was no tomorrow.
Music is swiftly becoming Wales' greatest export, and following in the footsteps of Jones, Church, The Manics and The Super Furry Animals, we have The Next Nine Years. Their set featured heartfelt and tender lyrics delivered with almost bone crushing force, the tracks 'Sinister Writings' and 'Prophecies in the past tense' being brutal examples of their craft. It may have been a long drive home for the band, but they left with the applause of an appreciative Bedford audience ringing in their ears.