ManGoneBlog, Review: Louis Barabbas & the Bedlam Six @ Kazimier

Review: Louis Barabbas & the Bedlam Six @ Kazimier

Box Social Presents: Louis Barabbas & the Bedlam Six | We the Undersigned |The Science of the Lamps | Lou Lu & the Boy |Burnitov

The Kazimier, Liverpool. Friday 4th November 2011

-Aaron Rose.

Every once in a while there’s a show that manages to take everyone who witnesses it by surprise and fills everyone who missed it with regret. Last night The Kazimier played host to one of them shows, thankfully I was there and I have to say, it’s nice to be surprised…

Having not seen any of the nights artists live before, I wasn’t all too sure what exactly to expect but upon arrival I straight away knew that whatever happened, it would not be dull.

It was as if I had stepped onto the set of Oliver Twist as 90% of the crowd where dressed in their best Victorian style attire and those that weren’t (me included in this) could have been mistaken for camera crew or stage hands. Indeed the outfits only enhanced the feel of the night and as the first band of the night took to the stage there was an air of majesty about the evening and the anticipation was palatable.

Lou Lu &the Boy were given the task of kicking the evening off and the trio of Lucy Styles, Louisa Roach and Roy Turnham made it look easy. Their blend of dark folk, crunchy riffs, hypnotic harmonies and incredibly catchy choruses caught the audience’s attention from the start and right to the finish they never let go;They tore through an odyssey of songs thatcontinually kept the room dancing and moving in utter jubilation, each new track shown a different side to the trio and it was clearly evident how comfortable they are on stage.

Lover’s Fobbed Her Off Again by Lou Lu &the Boy

Lucy’s performance as the bands leading woman was particularly pleasing to watch, she delivered every lyric with as much feeling and purpose as the last, whilst moving with a swagger and style reminiscent at times of TheYeah YeahYeah’s Karen O. But by no means was this a one woman performance; Louisa impressively snapped a bass string during the political tirade that is “A Local Guide to Politics” which shown just how fiercely she was playing, every harmony she produced was hit perfectly and seemed effortless. Roy “The Boy” gave exactly the sort of performance any band would want from their man with the sticks. Technically superb, never missed a beat and not only held things together soundly but played with a freedom and flourish that only served to emphasize their confidence. Indeed by the time the threesome had finished the unbelievably catchy “Lovers Fobbed Her off Again” the dance floor was packed and the standard for the night was set very, very high.

A Budvar and cigarette later and I was back in place to observe the second band of the night; The Science of the Lamps, are another quirky three-piece; consisting of two female singer/songwriters (Kaya & GretaCore) and a visual artist (Ben Powers). They combine aspects of folk, dream pop and the blues together to create a sound that’s both hauntingly melodic yet a little dirty at the same time. Joined by the lovely“Usherettes” vocal groupthey came on with some amiable banter between themselves and the crowd as well as some hauntingly beautiful opening songs;“27 Club Reject” was a particular delight, with strong lyrical themes that were reflected in some fantastic imagery shown on the screen above thanks toBen Powers. However I felt that the change in pace from Lou Lu & the Boy’s energetic finish to S.O.T.L’s much more measured start was too much of a contrast to begin with and I felt that the crowd’s attention wavered certainly at the beginning of the set, with some of the audience heading off to the bar areas until the music picked back up. Much to the bands credit though, they continued undeterred and with each passing song seemed to grow in confidence, Kaya and Greta’s interchanging vocals conveyed depths of emotion that at times was incredible and by the end of their set anyone who had at first been sceptical seemed to have been won over by a group of artists who clearly love what they do.

Again a small interlude followed, allowing everyone to top-up their beverages and this time turn to face the steps at the rear of the room…It’s not often that you’ll see a band that have to perform across the back of a venue because the stage won’t hold them…and that’s WITHOUT a drummer. But We the Undersigned are very much the exception rather than the rule. A trait which I believe they revel in.As soon as they were all out and getting ready to begin, the expectation in the room heightened. An audible buzz of excitement hung in the air for a band that clearly had their fair share of fans around the room and they did not disappoint. From the outset they had the whole of The Kazimier skanking and jumping around the room as Collen Chandler led his collective through a vibrant tirade of songs that would have even the most rigid person busting shapes to. Their unique combination of funk, indie-rock, rap, reggae and jazz creates a sound so vivacious it felt as if the air itself was alive and moving around you. As they moved into “Paradise” they had worked the room into a frenzied state. Marie-Lou (Baritone Sax) strut her stuff across the stage, saxophone in hand, leading the front line of audience from one side of the room to other, as a battle to see who can dance harder begins. It really was absorbing to watch, and wholly enjoyable.They’re a band who knows how to have fun with what they do and they put everything into giving their audience the best show possible, their charisma carries through in every movement, every lyric sang out, in every note played. When they burst into“Cosmic warrior” it was met by a cacophony of noise and applause from the audience, people threw themselves about the dancefloor with renewed vigour and you could tell that Collen and company loved every minute of it.As their set finished the band was swamped on stage and you’d of been forgiven for thinking the night had reached its peak then and there, but you’d of also been quite wrong.

We, the Undersigned! - EP by We, the Undersigned (WtU)

When Louis Barabbas stepped onto the stage alongside The Bedlam Six to perform their headline set he simply stole the show. His performance was red-blooded, vigorous and dynamic and he didn’t just demand the attention of the audience, but wrenched it from their bodies with a tempestuous force as he kicked and growled his way across the room, jumping down into the crowd and luring them closer to him with a charm and charisma born of fire. With each stamp of his raised foot, with every tale that’s spat from his mouth and woven into the air everyone in the room is drawn in closer, captured by the magic of a whisky soaked hero. It really was the perfect performance to finalise what had already been an astonishing night of music and revelry, each song was delivered with conviction and passion, delicately woven versus mixed with catchy hooks and heart-stealing choruses. The Bedlam Six themselves were slick, cool and precise Alison Cegielka’s almost seductive vocals providing the perfect counter balance to the ferocity provided by Louis. If there was one complaint to be made it’d be that their set went by too quickly, they were like a whirlwind coming in and whipping the crowd into a frenetic storm before spinning away into the darkness once more, leaving everyone left standing in awe and wonder, knowing that they’d just witnessed one of the most unique and enigmatic performances they’ll see for a while.

The night was rounded off with some electro-swing DJ’ing wizardry brought to us by Burnitov and I’ll from then onwards the drinks flowed more freely and I was able to take to the dance floor myself! If you’re ever looking for anyone to continue a party in the best way possible after an exceptional night of live music then Burnitov is the man you want.

You can keep up with all the bands and artists from the night using the links below, and keep your eyes peeled for my interview with some of the boys from We the Undersigned which will be going up later this week!

Aaron out!

Louis Barabbas& the Bedlam Six

http://www.louisbarabbas.com

http://www.bedlamsix.com

http://www.debtrecords.net

We the Undersigned

www.wetheundersigned.co.uk

www.soundcloud.com/wtu

The Science of the Lamps

http://www.facebook.com/thescienceofthelamps

Lou Lu& the Boy

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lou-Lu-the-Boy/172985292746289