The Espy (14/2/2009)

Feburary 14th. I challenge you to find me a man who likes this date. Those tied down in a relationship are caught in a web of flowers and chocolates, and those who are single have a trying time getting people together who are both single and not trying to kill themselves for being so lonely. On this Valentines day I was in the latter category, and me and my esteemed companion headed to the Espy for a night of unadulterated tunes. 

Phil Para

This guy is quickly becoming a bit of an Espy institution, I'm pretty certain he's there every week, warming up the crowd. It was bogan central. Which is groovy. Playing a buttload of covers and possibly an original or two, this guitar nutbar, along with drummer and bassist, managed to turn the Espy into what I imagine a Biker Rally social night looks like. The crowd lapped it up as he played covers of I think every old song on Guitar hero 3 - Crossroads, Black Magic Woman etc. He did it all exceptionally well, adding to the songs while remaining very faithful to the original. If all cover bands were like this group I'd be a lot more inclined to head to the countless Irish Pubs around town... but then 100 gigs wouldn't exist, and that would be sad. I think there may have been an original or two as well... but I could be wrong... my knowledge of 70's hard rock is surprisingly limited. 

The Cheats

Ah great, another drum and guitar duo... how many of those have we seen already. While to some people it might mean 'We don't need a bass, we can rock it on our own', I read it as 'We don't have enough friends to make a proper band'. But the Cheats may have very well changed my mind, because they were the SHIT. Like Pat has mentioned, there's something in the air this Feb, because the quality of bands has gone a bit crazy. With a stage lit up with Christmas lights, these two guys played some rockin tracks, with a crowd participation cover of Ballroom Blitz exceptionally great (That was me on the Tamborine). Look out for their debut Album in a couple of months... as well as more reviews on this site... these guys are better that free cake on Wednesdays.

Dead River Deeps

Maybe it was the fact that it was Valentines day and I wasn't covered in chocolate, or that the Cheats rocked it hardcore, the Dead River Deeps failed to get my attention. It was two guys,  they could play well, there was a saxamaphone on some songs, but they came and went without me even nodding to the beat. I don't like their name either. 

EDIT:

I was completely wrong , a lack of proper research led me to write the whole above paragraph about the wrong band! Thankyou for pointing it out mystery reader! The actual band that played was the Cayn Borthwick Band. My feelings are the same, although I guess his name isn't too bad. It's the Bassist from the Dardanelles, who I quite like. I'm sure I would've enjoyed the set more if I had of really got into it, slouching at the back of the Espy isn't really a prime gig spot. So apologies to the Dead River Deeps, who I haven't heard. But I still don't like their name. Also apologies for the Cayn Borthwick band... last time I ever write a review after drinking from a box. 

DOUBLE EDIT: 

Apologies to Dardanelles too, who I called The Dardanelles. The Dardanelles is a body of water that separates Turkey. Cayn Borthwick is not Turkish... as far as I know. 

There were plenty more bands on this night, but feeling groovy, I headed elsewhere for some dancy dance. Unfortunately, the chosen location had no power, so I drank MB tinnies in the dark. Yay!