The Greyhound, Blandford
“Teddy 20” is a recently established charity raising money for children with cancer, and tonight their noble dedication to their charity involved a night of local bands playing live to help raise awareness and take donations, instead of charging for entry. Headlining the night was Weymouth post hardcore outfit This Fall, who recently released their EP “Mechanical Hearts” which has gained exposure in the nationally renowned Rock Sound magazine and has also received praise from promoters and fans across the country.
Kicking things off (almost literally) is a five piece “aggressive rock” outfit known as Idle Hands. Their front man doesn’t waste time in getting the point across that he likes to own the stage, as a passionate performance both vocally and physically can’t help but raise a few smiles. They’re a young band; but they don’t play like one. The aggression and passion put into their performance may not stimulate everyone who listens, but they definitely have the drive to wreck (in a good way) venues in the future with their die hard attitude.
Sadly, Escape From 98 didn’t benefit from the nature of the heavy antics of Idle Hands, as despite their punk rock morals, their sound seemed a tad empty following the hectic riffs of the previous band. Nonetheless, they thrash out fun tunes such as “Punk Rock Princess” and the hilarious “Ben’s Mum”, but front man Lee seems to not to reaching the heights of previous shows, which was most likely due to the problems faced with the levels of the venue and the frustrating technical problems with Lennon’s guitar, despite this they did induce smiles all round with some priceless banter with the audience and a particular Ginger guitarist from Pump Action Radio.
Local boys; Last Resort took to the stage with a certain flair which could only indicate that half of the crowd was on their side from the off. A set dominated by covers was well received by an excitable and energetic crowd who screamed back classic covers including “All My Life” by Foo Fighters, a personal favourite of mine. The few originals they played seemed really promising but due to the majority of their set bring constructed of cover songs, their set seemed more like a tribute act than a local outfit belting out their own sweat and blood. Nonetheless, their vocal and instrumental work was impressive and from the few of their own songs that they played, it would be great to see a set of them doing just their own material.
Main support comes from a very familiar band to me; Pump Action Radio, a four piece pop punk band from Bournemouth. I’ve seen these guys many times and once again they thrashed out an energy filled set of songs from their first two EP’s and a few from an upcoming recording session. Sadly for them, the levels were off the chart and half the crowd left gradually clutching what was left of their ear drums, and this is coming from me, a drummer. I stuck it to the man and braved the storm to make my verdict that Pump Action Radio’s new material sounds fantastic, and they have clearly learnt how to master their craft over the lengthy period of time they have spent as a band. Take a lesson from these guys; it takes time to be an overnight success.
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived and This Fall smashed into recent single “The Escape”, with front man Jamiee Thompson smashing each note with his soaring vocal style, as well as Tom Newton’s jungle cat screams echoing round the intimate venue as the band hit full throttle. A set mixed with songs from their debut EP “Spitting Feathers”, their latest EP “Mechanical Hearts” and a few which were written in-between was well received by all inside the packed out venue. The workings of guitarists Tom Hill and Tom Newton fuse chunky riffs and intricate delay soaked vibes to create an atmospheric plethora of post hardcore. Final song “Gratitude” highlights the strength of the bands rhythm section, as the pulsating bass lines of the unusually smartly dressed Joe Isaacs and frantic drumming from Callan Milward pulled things to a close in executive style. I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2012 brings for this band. A truly great night was had by all and more importantly, a serious amount of money was raised for Charity, so everyone went home happy!!!
Set List
This Fall
The Escape
Spitting Feathers
Too Close To Home
All That I Am
Guardians
Ellen Austin
Not Without A Fight
Gratitude
https://www.facebook.com/thisfall
https://www.facebook.com/pumpactionradio
http://www.facebook.com/lastresortdorset
https://www.facebook.com/Escapefrom98
https://www.facebook.com/idlehands.uk
Words by George Fullerton
Pictures by Chinners
