The Flight/Idle Silver/The Blind Riots @ The Queens, Basford. 28th Feb.

Review by Steve Dean

Photo by Simon Bamford

Despite early sound problems and minus their drummer due to unavoidable work commitments, two-thirds of The Flight, in the shape of Tom Moreton forgoing his bass for an acoustic while Josh Barlow stuck to his Fender, nevertheless declared the show must go on. First of all stating that a number of their songs didn’t sit too well with an acoustic arrangement, they nonetheless played them with passionate enthusiasm and received a great reception despite their being a man short. Their self-penned pop/punk songs are good and strong and the recordings on their myspace site demonstrate the fire and drive they conjure up in their normal incarnation. Josh throwing in a accomplished solo version of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, the depleted Flight played a fine gig in the circumstances and I shall endeavour to see them again in their full glory at the next opportunity.

Coming to the Queens from Warwickshire, Idle Silver, recently transforming from quartet to trio due to former bass player Flo leaving to concentrate on her studies, are exciting, ballsy and play heavy rock with memorable grit. Drummer Laura, notably playing a host of interesting beats throughout the show, laid down some solid foundation while gutsy guitarist K@ and now bass-wielding vocalist Beka, displayed much passionate energy as they powered through their lively playlist. An all-girl act, they have a kind of wild beauty that complements their set perfectly. Although occasionally bringing 70s female rockers Girlschool to mind, their sound is up-to-date, fresh and packed with raw vitality. As an observation, I have to say that, in an age where so many metal bassists play with plectrums, it was refreshing to see Beka’s jazzy right-hand fingerwork, and the thundering bassline she produced on changing to a 5-string for a particularly heavy number had the whole room throbbing while K@’s deft guitar made the most of it. In conclusion, Idle Silver are a fine band and it’ll be a definite pleasure to see them again next time they’re up. I look forward to it.

It is always a pleasure to watch a band thoroughly enjoying themselves and headliners The Blind Riots do just that. A fairly young band, although with their musical prowess you’d never guess it on listening to them, they sing and play their robust tunes with a style and panache far beyond their years. Vocalist Tom Bevan airs his melodies with infectious elan and lead guitarist Steve Pye puts me in mind of Clapton in his Bluesbreaker days. Although this band carries strong 60s and 70s overtones, they have an uplifting freshness and sparkle that makes them very modern indeed. Aside from Steve and Tom, the remaining band members are Joe Walsh on Drums plus Luke Medlock and Mark Holdcroft on rhythm and bass guitar respectively. Influenced by the Arctic Monkeys and The Stone Roses amongst others, they seem to have a knack of turning out great catchy songs and the riff from ‘Party Girl’ was still playing in my head the morning after the gig, as was ‘Fight Temptation’, which saw Tom singing amongst the dancing audience as they joyfully joined in with the chorus. If you’re looking for a fun time you could do a lot worse than seeing The Blind Riots; I’ve a good idea you’ll enjoy yourself immensely.