Reviews

I entered the St Margaret’s Lodge Ballroom not really knowing what to expect, I had seen Gay Army before and heard good things about both Limefire and the Asylum Seekas.

I arrived just in time for the start of Gay Army’s set which was terrific as I had expected, although it seemed they had to battle through some sound problems, particularly for the singer, but from the crowd’s end it sounded fine.

Gay Army.

Their intriguing mix of basic garage punk and synths providing a truly refreshing and grown up sound in what has increasingly become a young punk rock scene in the Island.

They arguably even stand above the latest crop of garage rock acts on the national scene, such as the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs thanks to their slightly advanced sound and provocative lyrical content.

Neil Etasse from Limefire.

Limefire counter the local pop-punk acts in the opposite manner to that of Gay Army by stripping it down to the basics and presenting a Hardcore front based in the sound of bands such as Sick of it All and Minor Threat who they played a track or two by tonight.

They also proved the band to get the crowd going strongest with a mosh pit that took up the entire dance floor and resulted in a few minor injuries (the sign that a good time was had by all!).

These two bands presented a solid yet varied punk rock line up which provided the opportunity to see two of the islands most interesting to watch frontmen who both spent as much time off the tiny stage and mingling with the crowd as they did on it backed by two bands who made the small space they had their own.

Gay Army.

Special mention has to go out to the drummer in Gay Army for being that rare thing a watchable, exciting and talented drummer (not to the discredit of Limefire’s drummer, Paul Etasse who is undeniably one of the most talented in the Island's rock scene) and Ollie Smith the bassist of Limefire who certainly knew how to own the stage while singer Neil Etasse was screaming face to face with the frenzied pit.

These two acts were followed up by the hip hop stylings of the Asylum Seekas a group of three accompanied by a DJ and a CD player.

The Asylum Seekas.

While my own experience of this style of music isn’t vast I was slightly confused by the fact I couldn’t tell if they were being serious at any point. Not to take away from their talent, as their moments of freestyle were inspired and their overcoming of technical problems presented by skipping CDs was as appropriate as could be.

However by the end of their set I was left not sure if they were trying to be a serious prospect, or a strange cross between Goldie Lookin’ Chain and Motley Crue with lyrics like ‘Women are so pretty’ (though I must show them my respect for the human beatbox cover of the theme from ‘The A-Team’).

Overall though it was another fine evenings musical entertainment presented by the Vale Earth Fair and hopefully one of the first of many gigs open to all ages, as that certainly made the night more interesting and allowed the younger members of the audience to start to experience the best the island has to off across a wide range of musical styles.