22-20s @ Cockpit
By Andy McNallyJeepster look uncomfortable. Their Noel Gallagher-style rock ballads are underpinned by some nice piano and Hammond organ, but like a potato sandwich, they also lack intrigue. An energetic cover of Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower is the highlight of their gig. "There must be somewhere out of here" warbles the singer, but like Icarus they try to fly too close to the sun, and end up crashing down to earth. Jeepster generally sound like Embrace without the embrace.
By contrast, local lads The Blueskins treat the audience to a jaw-dropping display of blues-rock. They could pass as The White Stripes with bass, (Ryan Spendlove's yelping vocals even recall a younger Jack White) yet the backing tracks' shifts in tempo and groove show a mature grasp of rock dynamics. They hail from Gawthorpe near Wakefield and have just been signed by Domino Records - but don't let that put you off. Opening track and debut single User Friendly is a staccato blast of kazoos, woo-woo backing vocals and scuzzy guitars, like a bluesy take on Blur's Song 2. It could well become a student anthem. The entire set goes by in the blink of an eye, such is the hedonistic atmosphere they engender. Borrowing licks from Hendrix, The Sex Pistols and The Strokes, Blueskins are a dose of caffeine to wake up the lacklustre crowd. OK, the singer may look like he's masturbating during instrumentals, but the band probably need strong wrists to play this stuff. 18-year-old guitarist Richie Townsend gets a happy birthday wish, the crowd demand an encore and this young band look set for a busy future. They may even put their hometown of Gawthorpe on the map. Am I getting carried away?
If Blueskins are in the throws of carefree adolescence, Lincoln's 22-20s act like their troubled elder siblings. The three-piece have a more intense and conventional take on modern blues-rock. Whilst clearly gifted, singer/guitarist Martin Trimble's fragile ego culminates in a pop star strop mid-set which culminates in a broken guitar. At the end of a turbulent and bad-tempered performance, he breaks the replacement instrument and storms off before time in a seemingly contrived act of rock'n'roll excess. It's a pity, but the 22-20s don't fail to endear themselves to the locals. Trimble must be able to slow down time itself to fit in his nimble slide and solo guitar work - it would impress bullet-dodger Neo from The Matrix. And in the band's defence, the sound mixing was poor - guitar, vocals and bass seemingly lost behind a constant tinny snare which started to annoy. Impressive rather than engaging, they paled in comparison to the new skins on the block. Tonight I counted a victory on points for the local blues.
