NICALS, BODMIN (5TH MAY)
The Frenzy (headlining the gig above)

The Reels (above)
William Gregg (above)

THE FRENZY, THE REELS & WILLIAM GREGG

The first Friday of May saw another excellent line-up of fresh Cornish talent at Bodmin`s top venue for local live music, as Nicals welcomed a large crowd to the triple wammy of William Gregg, The Reels and The Frenzy. The recent upsurge of high quality, local musicians has been noted by many as exceptional and I think that we are truely living in a golden age for Cornish music. So in the low ceilinged backroom of this tiny old pub, there was an air of expectation as the audience built up to capacity. The stage was set and William Gregg was first to the mic.

The young man with the twelve string acoustic and the loud shirt, looking every bit as if he`d just got up from a beach party fireside sing-a-long with Jack Johnson, kicked off proceedings with a nervousness that was endearing. Once into his stride, however, William`s obvious passion showed through. His dedication to his girlfriend in the audience was a sweet touch and in keeping with the mood of his original material. He won the audience`s attention and applause quickly, but the choice of a Smashing Pumpkins track to finish was unexpected.

After a brief moment, The magnificent Reels moved into the strangely positioned spotlight; a four piece band with a full sound that grabbed your attention instantly. Although suffering from the after effects of a throat illness, Alex Hill and the band played an excellent set of catchy, punky tunes and I can only imagine how brilliant they must sound when in full health. The lively audience lapped up the original songs as their number swelled and the seated became the minority. The jangle of Alex and Joe`s guitars were held tightly together by the rhythm section in the form of Jeremy`s pounding drums and Neil`s smooth bass runs. This is truely a great band that makes you smile like a tax rebate on a winter`s day. I don`t recommend you see this band play...I demand you do!

Of course, if you`re on top of the bill, the tricky thing is following great bands and The Frenzy had set themselves up in this position, so tension was riding high in the room when Rich, Fiona and Ben took over for the last set of the night. But one song in and they destroyed the problem by playing with fantastic confidence that only practice and performance can create. As I said in an earlier review, this band is on a learning curve and they have come on leaps and bounds since I first saw them at Nicals. The size of their audience is a reflection of their improvement and having reached this standard in such a short time, it makes you truely wonder what dizzy heights The Frenzy will finally climb. Go and see for yourselves - they`re becoming more frenzied!

This was a great evening of live music and another feather in Nicals cap for keeping the local music scene thriving. With this sort of quality on display, it can only be a matter of time before these bands seize the airwaves.

(Photos by Johnny Echo Echo)