Escape

Opening a show like the Melodic Rock bash was never going to be easy, especially as the majority of punters hadn't arrived when Escape hit the stage. This is always the curse of opening acts at festivals as a ten hour day is an awful long time for people to stand around in one place.

Unfortunately to this reviewer Escape didn't do themselves justice based on this performance. I must be honest and admit that I hadn't heard anything by them previously and the very laid back acoustic nature of their music just didn't seem right for a day when rock music should have been to the fore. To give the band their due they did struggle with an awful sound, a feature that was to be a recurring theme throughout, and having checked out a couple of their songs since the show via their website at www.escapeintomusic.com it appears that the recorded material is far stronger than perhaps this gig indicated.

The Dregs of Society

Having been sent a Dregs of Society CD prior to the show I wasn't really looking forward to seeing this band. The music served up on that particular disc was rather on the generic side of the glam/sleaze/punk genre and didn't seem to stand out at all. How wrong can you be. Live The Dregs were a completely different animal and in frontman, 'SIC' they have a charismatic and completely insane beast on their hands.

Yes the music is still somewhat generic, but with an over-the top stage show it is easy to dismiss such shortcomings and simply be carried away by the event. Sod the fact that the venue was still half empty this was a band who were going to entertain come what may and in a blur of non stop motion and attitude they did just that. Penultimate song, a cover of LA Gun's 'Rip N Tear' perhaps sums up exactly what the band did to the Ruskin Arms. This is the band that should have opened the show.

Following up The Dregs was never going to be an easy business and Crimes Of Passion, a last minute addition to the bill in place of Double Cross who recently parted ways with their vocalist could quite happily have folded beneath the task. Indeed in their previous guise of Deadline that may very well have been the case. However new vocalist Dale Radcliffe perhaps saw the performance of The Dregs as a challenge rather than a hindrance and was may very well have been the spur the band needed. Indeed having seen the band twice in the last week I am fast becoming an expert on the outfit and you can see the growing confidence and maturity from gig to gig as the reviews and feedback they receive show they are doing something right.

if there was a downside to this show it was the inclusion of the old Deadline song 'Out Of Reach' as a filler. Not that this is a bad song, its just with the more aggressive nature of the new material it no longer seems to fit in with the flow of the bands set and to be honest Radcliffe struggles a little with the vocals, but then again it wasn't written for his voice. Once Crimes of Passion have a whole set of songs as strong as 'Pretty In Blood', 'Exit Wound' and 'Dream Of Me' they will surely be a force to be reckoned with in the UK rock scene.

That Paul Hodson is an extremely talented song writer, keyboardist, not to mention singer and guitarist is undeniable. His work on last years Hodson album 'This Strange World' and Bob Catley's 'When Empires Burn' opus prove this beyond question. However following up two such electric performances from The Dregs Of Society & Crimes of Passion with an acoustic set was an almost impossible task and one that threatened to spoil the momentum that the Xmas Bash was building up.

That it didn't was entirely down to Hodson's self depreciation and humour whilst playing a short set of songs from the aforementioned 'This Strange World opus. What Hodson needs to do is surround himself once again with a full band and then he will be be the equal of anyone on any bill.

In reviewing Sacred Heart's demo album 'Lay It On The Line last year I had commented that the band were well worth checking out live, so I guess in seeing them for the first time I was putting my money where my mouth is.

Speaking to guitarist/vocalist Paul Stead prior to the show that the band were heavier than the CD had perhaps suggested and that I would be surprised by their set. Well Mr. Stead you were spot on mate...

The tracks showcased from the 'Lay It On The Line' album were indeed heavier than their recorded counterparts, with the title track and 'Rock N Roll Away' being the highlights. However it was with newer tunes such as 1000 Tears and Perfect that the band showed a growing  maturity in the song writing department and less emphasis on the more staple AOR ingredients that had been previously employed.

The one thing that the band do need to work on however is their stage show. After the energetic sets from Crimes Of Passion & The Dregs Sacred Heart seemed somewhat static in comparison and perhaps a little naive in the whole presentation of a show beyond simply playing the songs. Indeed it was only when Dregs vocalist Sic took the stage that there seemed to be any energy emanating from the band. Hopefully future gigging will put this right as the songs are certainly there.

Lost Weekend

I'll be honest despite Lost Weekend having been around for a decade or more, releasing three studio albums and playing The Gods on numerous occasions they have somehow managed to pass me by completely. God knows how and my apologies. On the strength of this performance it is certainly something I am glad to have put right.

Lost Weekend are purveyors of classic rock, very much in the Ten mould and, despite a truly horrendous sound, perhaps the result of being the only band to employ keyboards during the day, in which the vocals were almost entirely lost, turned in a very tight and professional performance.

Culling their set from all three of the studio albums it was obvious that this was the band that had the most gigging experience of all of those to take to the stage so far and had an ease and enthusiasm on stage which made the whole set most enjoyable.

With the addition of a couple of new tunes to the set that are due to appear on their next studio album, which hopefully will see the light of day next year Lost Weekend certainly did not disappoint and took the whole Xmas Bash to another level.

As the last ever gig from the Brighton five piece the fact that their segment of the Melodic Rock Xmas Bash was always going to be emotional was never in doubt. Indeed they were the only band of the day to entice the audience down to the front of the stage and this says more than anything the esteem in which the band was held in Melodic Rock circles.

Now that the Pride era is over and done with it would be almost churlish to say anything negative about the set. Actually to be honest this wasn't really a gig, more of party (or should that be a wake) with the beers being passed around generously both on and off stage and an sense of both loss and  gratitude for what the band have given people over the years.

For completeness Pride delved deep into their repertoire to play the majority of their two studio albums as well as a couple of newer songs that, now, may very well never see the light of day. Songs such as 'This Time', Stay, 'Could You Believe' and 'Who You Gonna Love' all took their final bows and there was even time for the band to throw in their cover of Whitesnake's 'Fool For Your Lovin' with guitarist Chris Green excelling in the Steve Vai role. However the band definitely saved the best till the very last minute with the exquisite 'Still Raining' and then to round things out 'Say Your Not Lonely' and judging by the tears in some peoples eyes as the last notes faded away then I guess the absence of Pride will leave a hole in the UK melodic rock scene that will be hard to replace. There was just time for a series of group hugs and a final thank you to those who had supported the band over the past five years and then it was over.

It says a great deal about the UK melodic rock scene that a band of the quality of Pride can call it day citing lack of interest and money from labels and it is nothing short of criminal and a crime for which we should all hang our heads in shame.