As The Waxing Captors began their set of furied, ska tinged punk music, the most noticeable spectacle was that the stage seemed to be overflowing with musicians, instruments and attitude, a true ode to this musical genre. With the absence of a brass section, the band roughly looked and sounded like a cross between Madness and The Clash and the anticipation amongst the crowd was evident as the band crashed their way through the first song.  |
What became clear after a short period of time was that The Waxing Captors frontman Luke Littleboy was a very charismatic figure. He spared no energy in jumping all around the stage in an attempt to engage the audience and demonstrate his passion. He came across as very focused and determined. I was enthralled by his theatrical performance but at varying points he was sprawled out on the floor trying to retain a vocal presence that I have to say was never really there. Not being able to understand any words being delivered by the singer is very frustrating for a member of the audience and it reduced the impact of what probably are well structured and meaningful songs.  |
The band also appeared to be physically divided into two parts. The ensemble of John Ridealgh on guitar, Andrew Jones on bass and Tom Raffe on drums was a solid, heavy backing for the group. They gave the band an alternative edge which mixed well with the artistic approach of Luke Littleboy and Jack Rundell on lead guitar who lead the band musically from the front of the stage. It must be said that the bands sound would not have been as unique as it was without the support of those three guys.  |
As Luke Littleboy darted backward and forward across the stage, lead guitarist Jack Rundell remained a focal presence. Resounding from his guitar were innovative riffs that oozed originality and character which the rest of the band were happy to follow and support. He howled some intriguing backing vocals which often mimicked what he was playing on the guitar or the keyboard. Feedback from the guitars and the microphones was commonplace during the performance and you had to admire the bands stamina and authentic efforts. This was acknowledged by a thinning audience who always gave a hearty round of applause after each song. Personally, this was far from my favourite band musically. I thought that the bands technical ability was overshadowed by slightly pretentious stage antics that just didn't cut through enough to make up for the lack of vocal clarity and muddled song execution. With this style of music, there is a fine line between being crazy but entertaining and confusing and unpleasant to listen to. However, all credit to this band for attempting to try a different musical style, it is an admiring trait. Should they be able to find a way to blend their musical skills and stage performance in a less muddled manner, they will undoubtedly earn themselves further success and acclaim. | 
