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Bar Fever, Wigan
07/02/07
 Rock
‘n’ roll is a funny thing in that, by its very nature, even when things
spiral beyond control, there’s still a pretty good time to be had.
That’s more or less exactly the way things go down to night at Bar
Fever.
When The LINC turn up, eager to escape the bitter cold and warm
ourselves on a fire ignited by four promised bands whilst standard
background music blares out in vain between sets.
What we get instead is something slightly different, a night that goes
something like this:
Walking down the stairs into Fever’s underground lair, we’re greeted
with an eerie silence; it seems someone forgot to bring the tunes, or
maybe just something to play them on.
As the place slowly starts to fill up, the hustle and bustle of the
audience makes for a nervous atmosphere, which may go someway in
explaining why Deluxe Inspiration make a slightly edgy start to their
opening set.
Watching Deluxe Inspiration is something of a strange experience.
Almost immediately we want to like the band and shower praise on them
for their groovy, stomping brand of blues rock that reminds us of
Maryland rockers Clutch getting down at a funk convention.
With simple lyrics and simple riffs, it’s all basic stuff, yet somehow,
it all seems to work.
Yet as much as we enjoy this quirky, bass-heavy groove-rock at first,
the fact that Deluxe Inspiration, especially the frontman, make us
cringe on more than one occasion puts a dampener on things.
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not ageist folk here at The LINC, and we
don’t really care how old they are, but if we are going to watch two
blokes who must be flirting with their thirties, then can’t they at
least…. act their age?
This might sound harsh, but talking to a few gig-goers later on, it
seems we’re not the only ones who think so.
What starts off as simple-yet-effective music wonders off into being
somewhat primitive. Couple this with a frontman who wears an ill-fitting
red and black shirt like a bad Dennis The Menace costume, and you get
the impression that you’re watching a group of blokes in the midst of a
mid-life crisis, eager to recapture their youth through the power of
punk.
And if ever there was a time to beg the lads to grow up, it’s with a
song about the internet, a juvenile jam about the dark side of the web
that is almost embarrassing to listen to.
We don’t usually mind immature rock n roll, in fact, some of it can be
pretty funny, but this is just weird. Come on lads, even Blink 182, the
most juvenile group on the planet realised enough was enough when they
hit a certain age.
Next up, we’re expecting one of the other advertised support acts, but
instead, as someone finally turns up with a ‘Best of the 90s’ mixtape,
Madkaps set up their gear and it seems we’re skipping straight to the
main event.
Heading over to Wigan from France as part of a UK tour, it doesn’t take
the French punk rockers long to demand the crowd’s attention and keep it
for a full, hour long set.
Lead by Anglo-French front-woman Ella who packs more energy and vigour
than her diminutive frame would suggest, Madkaps specialise in the kind
of hard, solid riffs, deep bass and unrelenting drums that have been the
basis for many a modern punk band, and whilst it’s hard to compare them
to any one band, they do have a familiar sound.
Which is perhaps the band’s biggest weakness. Sure they’re good, there’s
not a person in here tonight who would argue with that, but they’re good
in a way that so many other great punk bands are good rather than in any
way they can call their own.
Our only other problem is that most of the time, we can’t tell what
they’re saying, or indeed, which language they’re saying it in, but we
get the feeling that this probably has more to do with the venue’s PA
than anything else.
Yet these are small complaints, and on the whole, Madkaps are an
impressive band. Though our interest may wane towards the end they have
no problem in keeping the crowd entertained with their powerful and
catchy punk rock and a 4-stringer who must surely be up for the World’s
Most Enthusiastic Bassist Award.
And that’s pretty much it. With scarcely any time to fit the other two
bands in, most people call it a night, a night that didn’t quite go as
expected, but was pretty fun anyway.
Recommended Links:
Deluxe Inspiration
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www.deluxeinspiration.co.uk
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www.myspace.com/deluxeinspiration
Madkaps
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www.madkaps.com
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www.myspace.com/madkapspunk
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