The Extinguishers/Blindman’s Vision /Tommy Needs A Gun/The Underground Pilots/Matt Cahill

The Anvil,Bournemouth

On a balmy night in May we enter a largely empty Anvil for an evening of varying styles of music.

First up is Matt Cahill, a local singer/songwriter/producer no less. Playing to a near empty room is no barrier to Matt as his humour and happy-go-lucky approach masks any nerves. He has a strong voice and his lyrics are both audible and clear. One or two of his friends/fans offer him encouragement and he swaps banter with them. He offers up a couple of covers, most notably Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” amid a confident half hour set. Matt is not shy and on the “graveyard slot” shows no nerves. He ends his set to good applause and one feels we could be seeing more of him in future.

Matt Cahill

Next up are Pompey 5 piece The Underground Pilots. This quintet play a loud brand of “Progressive Stoner Rock” with a capital R! The wall of noise they are creating would suit a bigger venue I feel but tonight they make do, cramped as they are on this small stage. The guitars are the stars in their performance but it’s the heavy bass that stands out for me. So much so the vocals are drowned almost the entirety of the set. Audioslave would be an obvious comparison but they have a sound entirely their own, sadly it’s just lost on me! The way they meld one song into another is interesting, whether deliberate or not it kinda works. On another night in a bigger venue I might get it but I wish them well.

The Underground Pilots 1–2

Third up are locals Tommy Needs a Gun. This 3 piece are instantly notable for the varying degrees of height between band members! Ryan (guitar/vox) dwarfs Jord (bass/vox) but what he lacks in height is made up for in power! The power generated by the trio is immense. Taking hints of QOTSA and adding a Muse-like vocal works well over some hard hitting from Paul For a debut gig these guys are punching well above their weight, lets hope there’s more in the tank. “Strange Lies” is a set highlight with some searing vocals over more ferocious hitting from Paul. I feel we are gonna be seeing more from these guys very soon, an impressive start though.

Tommy Needs A Gun 1

Out of towners Blind Man’s Vision are up next, this time from Southampton. This quintet play a right old mixture of “Indie Rock Psych Blues” – add or delete as necessary! Rob (vox) is confidence personified and delivers a clear, crisp vocal almost throughout. This band also have a ‘big’ sound incorporating Chris’s (keys) to great effect. Jay (guitar) and Ed (bass) are struggling for space on this cramped stage while Steve (drums) is hidden at the back. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I heard at least two Sex Pistols riffs in their set tonight. Far be it from me to suggest there’s any Punk in their set and I feel sure it isn’t deliberate, but those two songs worked for me. Without a setlist to go by I wont say which songs but “Dying Breath” and “Pretty Lil” Eyes’ work well and receive good applause, as do the majority of their songs. It’s noodly in places but that’s hardly a criticism and the band leave the stage well received.

Blindmans Vision 1

Last up are The Extinguishers who announce “this is our last show-ever”! With that in mind they waste no time in hitting the ground running with their brash brand of Ska/Punk/Hardcore. The room is near capacity now and one or two in the room start skanking. The open with a Dub-heavy intro and one cant ignore the obvious Rancid influence but they give a ballsy loud performance. Friends and fans alike start moving and singalong to their anthemic tunes. Having been around since 2003 it’s hard to believe they are calling it a day, but that’s life as they say, which is how they end their set with the anthemic singalong that is “That’s Life”. The crowd have one final skank and that’s it, they’re done. We do our best to encourage an encore but it’s not to be and they leave to long, loud applause.