THE SWAN INN, TRURO (5TH FEBRUARY)

BLINDFOLD GARDEN

Not the first time I'd seen Blindfold Garden but the first time I've been compelled to write a review of the band as they are one of the finest this county has produced. They swaggeringly took to the stage to belt through the first five songs in their set with barely a pause for breath. Their sound is hard to define, although they seem to wear their influences on their sleeves (The Smiths & Queens of the Stone Age are the obvious examples), but their mix of old and new pays off, merging uplifting and floating melodies with powerful riffs and noise, often in the course of the same song (check out the 7- minute epic Nazi Sinatra for a perfect example of how to balance the two). Martyn Whitfords' bass-lines are reminiscent of Peter Hooks' chorus-laden sound, while Jason Brown could out-do Keith Moon (clearly his idol) on drum fills and prescence alone. Kevin Pearce showed promise on lead guitar, his first gig with the band, mixing Pink Floyd-esque effect work with crushing power chords while Bryn Powell filled the pub with his honeyed vocals (Morrissey, anyone?) and solid rhythm guitar. Not even a technical problem with the mic during the last song could stop their hour-long set from being tight, raucous, exhilarating and beautiful all mixed into one. All this and their first gig with a new guitarist.

The future is bright.

www.myspace.com/blindfoldgarden2007

ELUSIS

The Swan's Broken Egg Night has always attracted talented bands and this evenings proceedings were no exception. The gig kicked off with Elusis, a 5-piece band formed 18 months ago, and very pleasant on the ears they were too. Imagine a funkier Incubus with a hint of A Perfect Circle and you're almost there. Rogans' drums and Matts' Bass were locked tightly while Sonny and Ash layered guitar melodies over the top in epic and sweeping movements. The lead singer, Ray, had some interesting stage mannerisms and kept the audience watching. If there was any criticism, I would say they lacked a few 3-minute rock blasts to keep their set moving along, but I couldn't fault them on sound and performance. One to look out for.

www.myspace.com/elusisband

(Review by David Borden/Photos by Nathan Lance)