MG and the Juggernaut/Albany Down/El Bosco

Mr Kyps’ “gig for a quid” scheme sees many talented bands take to the famous stage and perform alongside local bands, at a price that should see locals flooding in. This month, it’s the turn of Albany Down, a four piece blues rock band from North London who have just released their debut album, “South of the City” (check out our review, from Ross, here). The band’s album can be found in selected HMV stores around the Country (including our local in Poole).

Along with relentless promotion for their album and string of dates across the UK, you get the feeling that this band is taking things seriously. Tonight’s format is slightly different and can only be described as a “local sandwich” with support acts El Bosco, and MG and the Juggernaut playing either side of the blues rock band.

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El BosCo are a fairly recent local outfit, who pump out punk rock anthems like there’s no tomorrow. The key ingredient to their sound is their grunge driven riffs and frantic drumming, giving the Mr. Kyps PA system a run for its money. The band are full of smiles, adding to their likeability factor. Especially front man Steve Perry, who seems to be loving every minute, despite regularly informing the crowd of how recent the band is. They don’t need this superficial make up, as they have no scars to hide, with soaring vocals in the chorus from Steve along with his other two band members fueling a worthy opening set. With more gigs under their belt and a more structured set, this band could mean serious business.

Oddly, the evening had only just begun before original headliners Albany Down make their way on stage to see a fairly empty Kyps, as most of the El Bosco following had flown the coop. Nonetheless, the band fire on all cylinders with an instant impression that they have rehearsed to the bare bone. Early number “Dirty” stands out as an anthemic classic and previews hints of Joe Bonamassa shining through, along with exposing front man Paul Muir’s exquisite vocal qualities.

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One feature of this band that made them stand out was their guitarist, Paul Turley who is one of the most talented breeds you will see on the rock circuit. If you ever want to see a man who can play as well with a guitar behind his neck, then he’s your man. Solo after solo, it never got old. Although this band is loaded with positive factors, there’s something not right. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with this band seeming more like a spectacle than a musical master class. At times, it was hard to differentiate certain songs from others, as the formula for each song seemed parallel to the next. The term “plastic” came to mind, but luckily, in rock and roll, you can never look down on a band that clearly loves their music.

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Finishing the evening was MG and the Juggernaut, a local band with a front man who has biceps the size of Bournemouth, and the growl worthy of a Metallica tribute act. From the off, their riff driven hard rock fuels the sense of passion for their music, despite the levels sounding far from what they should have been. There were times when the drums were almost all I could hear, and however vigorously the two guitarists thrashed away, it ruined the enthusiasm thrown into their performance through the lack of volume. Albany Down were always going to be a tough act to follow, and sadly the North Londoners put them in their place in terms of their fluency of their performance. They have the potential to send venues into chaos, but they just need to figure out what the keys is to making the step up to where they want to be.

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El BosCo