On one of the hottest nights of the year The Little Civic would not be your ideal venue of choice. A less than spacious upstairs room with a distinct lack of air-conditioning and ventilation it is the “spit and sawdust” younger brother of the Civic and Wulfrun Halls. There is barely room on the cluttered stage for the young five-piece support band Undefined yet the vocalist still manages to find enough space to stomp around in a sweat-soaked 30 minute set. There are definite Rage Against The Machine and Chili Pepper influences and, aside from the ‘Cookie Monster’ vocals of the closing track, they make for an entertaining and energetic start to proceedings.   

Despite being formed around the nucleus of Kick vocalist Nick Workman and Pulse / Bob Catley guitarist Vince O’Regan, Eden are definitely on the harder side of Melodic Rock. Their 65 minute set consists of a run through of (almost) all of guitar-driven debut album ‘Open Minds’ (see CD reviews) and they also offer up Japanese bonus track ‘Neon Lights’ for a small yet appreciative crowd.  

Eden display a maturity that belies the fact this is only their 3^rd gig proper and seem comfortable from the start; safe in the knowledge that they are promoting a fine set of songs. This is a no-frills performance of British Hard Rock with no extended solos or jams, ensuring that the pace of the set is consistent throughout. Anyone familiar with Nick’s vocals on Kick’s three albums will already know that he has an excellent voice; never having seen him in the live setting I wasn’t aware until now that he is also a fine frontman. With a delivery that is both powerful and harmonious this is a quality display, even in the confines of a venue such as this. His songwriting partnership with Vince looks like it will be a winning combination and they have already established an on-stage chemistry. I have seen Vince a number of times with Bob Catley and he now finds himself in the position of being Bob’s right hand man. The Eden material gives him more of an opportunity to cut loose and he seems to be having a great time, throwing all of the right poses and postures with a wide grin. 

The rest of the band; bassist Al Mills, drummer Paul Rodgers and James Screaton on keyboards and additional guitar, seem content to remain very much in the background (in fact Rodgers is almost invisible at the back of the tiny stage). That said, they all perform competently enough, although will perhaps need to play a bigger part in terms of interacting with the crowd when Eden play to larger audiences. The backing vocals are an area that could do with some work, although the fact that they lacked clarity may have been more down to the venue rather than the performers. 

Highlights for me are ‘Fools Parade’, a solid rock anthem in waiting, ‘How Far You Are’, the one real ballad on the album, and the groove-heavy ‘On A Day Like Today’. Nick tells me after the gig that the band are thinking of dropping this one but hopefully they will reconsider – it’s a winner! 

All in all – and despite the heat - a great night out. Eden have made an impressive start to their career and, if they can pick up a support tour, will have a good chance of converting more potential listeners. 

Eden have some high profile gigs lined up in September with appearances at Z Rock II and Bloodstock – you can find out more at www.edentheband.co.uk

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