Just occasionally you have to hold your hands up and admit you haven’t thought things through properly. When the other half announced this lot were playing at Barrow, an hour’s drive around the coast, I thought: why not? Might be interesting to see an up and coming band in a small club out in the wilds of Cumbria. And can they do all that over produced stuff live too. Then there are those intricate vocal parts etc. etc. 

A month later and we’re queuing up outside said venue and it’s clear that the band’s target audience is firmly placed between fourteen and eighteen years old. Frankly I never gave it a thought because last time I was here was for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (reviewed December 2007) and everyone was over forty! 

Ok so that shouldn’t detract from what’s going on onstage but boy did I feel bloody old as I watched the bouncers go round the young punters confiscating their smuggled in booze! I felt so self conscious I went and stood by the mixing desk hoping the assembled throng would think I was management or something! Even the roadies were youthful. Having said all that it’s good to see a band that does actually know its audience (apart from the middle aged saddo – i.e. me, trying to hide at the back).

Elliot Minor have time on their hands and seem in no hurry to turn themselves into a UK version of Dream Theater or something in order to be taken seriously. Its EMO, meets Goth, meets Classical and that makes them different to their contemporaries. But they also have that ‘Busted/McFly’ pop rock thing going. (Yeah I’ve just typed the word ‘Busted’ on HRH – I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.) 

Anyway I digress. Because after a lengthy intro of the Classical music variety (whereby the audience could be heard chanting: “Minor, Minor, Minor” – was this the Minor Tour? I ask myself) the band were onstage. Yep, they were bloody tiny and yep sought of very teeny too. But the sound was great and they opened up with their excellent recent single “Still Figuring Out”.  

And yes they can all play. And yes they can do all those vocal harmonies. And yes they can reproduce versions of their recorded output. Elliot Minor are the real deal in terms of musicianship. Frontman Alex Davies was superb with the young Barrow audience – you’ve got to remember Barrow isn’t the first name on many people’s tour itinerary – hence he did ever so well not to patronize. In fact I think he was impressed by their energy and enthusiasm. 

So we got all the singles (they’ve all debuted in the UK top 40 so far) and stuff I didn’t know off their forthcoming album. What can I say. They are a good band. And the sight of a big teenage Cumbrian lad, too big to be lifted up by one roadie, being man handled and dumped of the stage by THREE roadies has to be one of the funniest things I’ve seen in ages. They make them big in Cumbria. 

‘Parallel Worlds’ finished things off and the band’s re-worked version (just guitar and vocals – before everyone crashed in) was superb. Yes I know it’s incredible but I actually enjoyed Elliot Minor. There. I’ve said it. Now I need to go and lie down somewhere. I think I may need help.

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