Bad Sign/Faux/Sound The Siren/Chapter & Verse

The Anvil, Bournemouth

It’s Saturday night in Bournemouth and once again Lifeboat Records have put together a quality line-up of top bands for this evening’s entertainment. The line-up was to feature 5 bands; however David Grigg, lead singer of Weymouth band “Tate” was hit by a bike earlier while loading in. David’s fellow band mates took David to hospital with a suspected broken arm. The other four bands are all present and correct, with things kicking off just a little later than previously advertised.

The first band on are Londoner’s “Chapter and Verse” who come straight out of the traps at breakneck speed. The four-piece led by vocalist Josh Carter, deliver their melodic rock in a refreshingly energetic and positive way. Their style and approach gets everybody in the room full attention with Josh’s powerfully passionate vocals really impressing. There’s a song called “Slave” about an MNA fighter, as well as the band’s featured single “Shelf Life”. They save the best ’til last with an atmospheric tune called “New Breedî which features a great 3-way vocal harmony. They have certainly set the benchmark high for the evening ahead.

Chapter And Verse 1–2–3

Next, we have “Sound The Siren” who themselves are no strangers to this venue after gaining various support slots here over the last couple of months. The band have all the correct ingredients in place but for some reason seem quite a distance away from any of the other bands here tonight. They have been together for quite a while now and should have built up more of a repertoire of original material, but they still insist of performing covers. Their original material such as “Badass”, “The Fall” and “Down” all sound like they are on the right track. However, I would love to see a massive injection of energy from all members of the band as this is something that’s really lacking in tonight’s performance. (If only they had stayed to watch the headliners, they would have seen how it’s done)!

Sound The Siren 1–2–3

The so-called “Dirty Pop” of Southampton band “Faux” is up next and the band arrive in front of a good-sized, enthusiastic crowd. The four-piece perform a selection of well-crafted original tunes that have a real quality about them. They use twin guitars to create infectious, memorable melodies. With tunes like “Call”, “Let it Slip” and the fantastically hooky song featuring the reoccurring lyrics “Flickering Out”. The crowd; though largely unfamiliar with the band’s material, seem to really warm to them and give a really positive reaction at the end of each number.

Faux 1–2

The final band of the night are “Bad Sign”, a three-piece band who are signed to independent label Basick Records. They enter the stage with more energy than I’ve seen a band give in a long time. They patiently watch and support all the other acts before exploding onto the stage in an extreme way. Their sound is huge and with their vast array of effects, create something like no other. Joe Appleford plays his bass like it was a guitar, stomping around the stage on a mission. The other two guys Kevin Miller on Drums and Jonathan Harris on Guitar don’t hold back for a moment.

Bad Sign 1–2–3

They perform tracks from their “Destroy” Ep including the epic “The Recidivist”. These guys are pushing the boundaries far and wide creating something quite unique and incredibly entertaining. The set ends with Joe and Jonathan diving through the crowd on the dance floor while still playing their guitars, before an epic crescendo of ear-piercing feedback, ending a fantastic set full of highlights.

Videos