Idle Hands Club Night
The new live music night in Hereford at Watercress Harry’s is a hit with InSITE's Calum Hutton.
Well, let me tell you I haven’t been out to see live music in Hereford for a fair old while. Last time was to see The Myth at the Imperial, and who knows where they are now? From what I’ve heard the live music scene in Hereford been has been going through a bit of a lull in recent times. But when I walked through the doors of Watercress Harry’s on St Peters Street, (thinking it was just going to be like every other pub) I was very impressed. The interior was well designed, with the long bar leading directly to the stage and some stairs up to the second floor, which had more seating and also I even spied a pool table. There were loads of comfy sofas and tables around, making for a very casual feel to the gig (it's over 18's only though).
Moonbow
The first act onto the stage was Moonbow, a local guy called David Roberts who sang vocals along to his guitar. He wasn’t like other solo guitarists because of the effects pedals he was using. The loop pedal gave his performance a unique atmospheric sound that I’d never heard before. I was amazed at the range that a single guitar could produce and using the repeated melodies as a beat for the guitar and vocals worked well. It was a very original idea! His voice was melodic and at some time quite haunting with obvious influences of Radiohead and Thom Yorke in his music. Sometimes the electronically produced beats clashed with the more acoustic style of his guitar, making it sound a bit awkward but overall he did well. With a live band behind him to support the intelligent beats his music could have had even more variety.
The Doubtful Guest
Now I’m not a fan of country music so I was I bit dubious of the next band; The Doubtful Guest, a three piece from Bath. But to be fair, as soon as they exploded onto the stage my mind was changed. They really picked up the pace with their country m
usic laced with rock, and I expected to see people dancing their feet off. It’s a pity, no one did. The group had a lot of energy behind their performance too, and were very confident on stage, probably because of over three years of experience. The lead singer also played harmonica at the same time as playing guitar, which is a huge skill (because men are supposedly not able to multitask?!), and his vocals really suited their country-esque style. The band also performed a couple of Johnny Cash covers, which they played very well but still, it wasn’t enough to get the crowd going.
Bearknuckles
The final, headlining band was another three piece, this time from Bristol. Bearknuckles were tight in their performance and had some really amazing riffs. They were just my sort of thing to round off the night. I was unable to sit down, even though everyone else still was. This band especially deserved applause from the crowd; they stood out as the best band of the night for me with their original style and sound. They reminded me of Incubus in some ways, as well as Hundred Reasons with definitely a hint of AFI in there too. Though listing American bands is unfair as a comparison, Bearknuckles are certainly unique, and they’re British too; a very good combination if they are to progress in the music scene. The vocals were also very impressive, the lead singer had a great vocal range, able to soar to the higher notes with ease, all in all each part of the band complemented the other superbly. Again, it was a very good way to end the night though I was really disappointed to see the audience standing like statues!
There certainly was no shortage of talent on stage at this gig its just a pity the crowd didn’t get into it. With more support, I think the bands would have performed even better!
Want to find out more? Check out:
Idle Hands Club Night on MySpace
The Doubtful Guest Official website
