The Anvil, Bournemouth
Having put my ears through their paces 2 nights running at Mr. Kyps I decide to venture along to The Anvil to capture a work colleague’s first gig proper. First observation is how good this venue is looking since it was the “tired” i-Bar. The building has had more than a well deserved lick of paint,the whole venue looks fantastic. And so to the music. Openers MG & The Juggernaut need no introduction. This band Rock-HARD! They open with “Battlefield” which I find rather apt, such is the ferocity of their music! In vocalist and rhythm guitarist Simon they have a man no stranger to a gym, if his upper arms are anything to go by!
“Crushed Into Pieces” is how my eardrums are gonna feel in the morning! My view of Perry (drums) is obscured-however, the noise coming from his kit is not. Luke (lead) cant keep still beside him on this tiny stage while Rick (bass) is pulling some great shapes. This is a band big on volume but its not just a wall of noise,these guys can play. I won’t pretend I’m a fan of this genre,but one cannot criticise the musicianship. The whole set has a heavy whiff of Metallica, but this band make it their own. They end with “Punishment”, again rather apt but you wouldn’t forget this band in a hurry. If only the sound engineer had put some more in the vocal, I might have deciphered some lyrics. That said the band give a great, albeit loud account of themselves. Watch out for this band,they’re going places.
MG and The Juggernaut 1
Next up are Eight Days Late. After 2 name changes and a new singer drafted in to match the music more, Eight Days Late are here with a clutch of songs on this, their official live debut. They open with “Long Gone”. Once again power is the order of the day and again the vocals are lost in the mix. Dave (vox) has a style that reminds me of Hell is for Heroes vocalist-the comparison ends there! Hard as he tries though its only when he gets to the choruses that its audible. This band openly admit to a flavour of Reef, while one could hear any number of influences going through the music. “Borderline” is big on riffs,courtesy of Ben (lead),ably assisted by Chad (bass). Looking at these two “work” there’s real chemistry between them as they swap glances and feed of eachother. Two Reef covers have been dispensed with in favour of originals. Ed (drums) has a power and style about him, honed in his profession as a drum teacher and band member of many local Rock luminaries. Dave eventually asks if we can hear him – there’s a resounding no in response! Unfortunately the engineer who ‘appears inexperienced’ does little to change this and once again theres a wall of sound in places. Towards the end of the set we begin to hear the vocals better as Dave finds his range and grows in confidence. They end with “Poseiden’s Captain” to good applause on what has been a decent debut gig. Ben later confides many mistakes, I must admit I’m none the wiser!
Headliners tonight are Mischa and his Merry Men. Having only seen (and reviewed) Mischa as a soloist I’m wondering how he performs with a band. This 3 piece waste no time and get straight to it in front of a now larger crowd. An early string break doesn’t dampen proceedings as they play “Something Else”. This band look totally comfortable on this small stage;and where the previous 2 bands had a heavier feel, this band have a much “lighter”, upbeat tempo about them. To me there’s a real “festival” feel to their music,one could imagine them on a midday slot entertaining a throng of cider drinkers! “Songs That Saved My Life” is a Mischa staple and very good it is with a full band. At this point I have a ‘date with the last bus’ so miss the end of their set. However the crowd are receiving them well before I depart and I look forward to catching them again sometime soon with a better sound.
Set Lists
MG & The Juggernaut
Battlefield
Wolves
Crushed into Pieces
If This Is Three
Punishment
8 Days Late
Long Gone
Borderline
Just Like This
Drink Somebody
Roundabouts
Boom Boom
Make My Baby
Poseiden’s Captain
Band Links
http://www.facebook.com/mg&thejuggernaut#!/mgthejuggernaut
http://www.facebook.com/8dayslate
http://www.facebook.com/MischasMerryMen1
Review & Pictures By Ross Ferrone.
