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Hogan's Bar, Leigh.
Friday May 12th 2006
 You’d think that having raced from one end of the country to the other,
on the back of a successful string of gigs, would leave a band feeling
fairly knackered.
Yet as The LINC catches up with members of Second 2 Last amidst the
frenzied atmosphere that preludes tonight’s show, they’re positively
buzzing with news of last night’s gig in Great Yarmouth and the mad
journey all the way back home to play at Leigh’s Hogans Bar.
Taking to the stage a short while after, the boys prove, if ever proof
were needed, that fatigue is not a word in their vocabulary.
With their usual singer out of the fold due to other commitments, it is
up to guitarist Gall to step up to the mic and assume vocal duties. A
fine job he does of it too, as he leads his troops through a
rabble-rousing set of chaotic punk that fuses the old school
impetuousness of the likes of The Buzzcocks with the post Y2K attitude
of the crop of modern punk bands currently mithering the masses.
Another band who make a glorious fusion of old and new are Neo-Glam
rocks stars The Bedheads, who take to the stage next to a fanfare of
old-school metal that reminds us of Slash and Metallica muso Kirk Hammet
trading licks over the intro to Slayer’s ‘Black Magic’.
If looks were all that counted, it would probably be easy to simply pass
these boys off as posers. One with a floppy mop of blonde hair and
eyeliner, one rocking the trademark emo look, and a bassist who goes
about his business sans shirt.
Yet as the band burst into their emo-meets-metal (this is not, by any
means ‘emo metal’) onslaught of powerful riffage and an even more
powerful stage presence, it becomes clear that such flamboyance is
essential to putting on such an awesome show.
There comes a point may be once, if ever, in any music fan’s life, when
they accidentally stumble across a band who look, and sound, so ready
for the big time that you feel quite proud to have caught them so early
on in their careers. For this reviewer, The Bedheads, like the
reincarnate of ‘Attitude’-era Guns n Roses, are that band.
And so it is that local heroes The 5-Os have a hard act to follow as
they take to the stage next to round up tonight’s show.
Currently ripping up and down the country as part of their ‘Wear Nothing
2006’ tour, the brothers Bradbury seduce and then beat their home-town
fans with their Green Day-meets-The Offspring punk rock. Launching into
tonight’s set with their usual gusto and aplomb, The 5-0s command both
stage and audience, tearing through each tumultuous tune with such
intensity that you can’t help but fear that they may just collectively
combust at any moment.
Whilst drummer Adam keeps things moving with a fast, thumping beat,
elder brother and lead guitarist/vocalist, Adam writhes around, his
guitar screaming and roaring with life. Meanwhile, Liam throttles his
bass with such a fury, you’d be forgiven for thinking that his
4-stringer weapon of choice just said something rather unpleasant about
his mother.
Eventually however, as all good things have a nasty habit of doing, the
show ends. The 5-Os unrestrained energy wrapping up what has been, on
the whole, a great night of live music.
Recommended Links:
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www.myspace.com/5Os – The 5-Os at Myspace
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www.myspace.com/thebedheadsofficial – The Bedheads at Myspace
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www.myspace.com/second2last – Second 2 Last at Myspace
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