Me and Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Town after the Gig.
Brid Bash Review 2012
Ok so it’s been a while since I’ve done any gig reviews and that’s mainly down to the fact that I’ve not been to any gigs recently, but less of that and more of the present.
Brid Bash has become a staple event in the Bridlington calendar over the last few years and I’ve attended every single one. Don’t get me wrong, at best from the list of acts that feature, I will like one or maybe two of them on a good year but it seems a shame not to go see these artists when their virtually on your doorstep. The basic format is quite popular at the moment with several radio stations adopting the idea of having their name branded around a venue whilst selecting a few acts to perform that are either usually on the decline or plain just not ‘big’ enough to sell out a show on their own yet. Ok maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement and a cliché but hey, for most of the acts it seems to fit quite well.
I arrived at the venue (The Spa) just after the doors had been opened, hoping that the crowds of people many of whom who had been queuing for several hours by this point may have dispersed. Alas they hadn’t so I had a quick walk round the block and to my surprise found none other than Lemar at the back of the building signing autographs and pleasing the crowd of about four people and I’m sure at least two of them knew who he was. I didn’t stop to chat as to be honest I can’t recall any of his songs or how he became famous but to be fair to the guy he’s got a cool afro. Walking back now towards the main doors, I was happy to see the crowds had now gone inside and I could walk straight in ( I hate queuing) noticing along the way the stricken empty bottles of both vodka and cider decorating the streets alongside numerous crisp packets and other confectionaries.
I had decided to try and get near the front this time as for the last few times I’ve been to a gig at the spa, I have tried sitting up on the balcony and the atmosphere is just plain lacking, even if the seats are rather comfy. After a quick trip to the bar (£3.75!) it was time for the first act which were called Lawson who I’d heard on TV a few times and seem to be making a name for themselves with their brand of radio friendly pop/rock. I’ve always got time for bands that play their own instruments and they went down well with their catchy songs and impressive vocals. After this I’m struggling to recall the order in which the acts came on stage, but I’ll go over my favourite acts from the night instead. Firstly I was pleasantly surprised by Marcus Collins who to his credit was actually quite good and fitted the night quite well with appealing songs, backing dancers and decent vocals. I recall his latest single only selling a few thousand copies which was quite unforeseen as it wasn’t that bad in all fairness. His fellow X factor contestant Misha B also made an appearance, which was different again and relied heavily on a loud backing track whilst Misha would occasionally add a few lines or laugh or even sing the chorus. Again it wasn’t bad and she certainly has some stage presence and is clearly a natural performer. Probably my favourite act of the night alongside headliners Rizzle Kicks was the duo of Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Newton Faulkner who both sang acoustically to great effect and as a big fan of acoustic performers, I was mightily impressed.
It wasn’t all so good however and I have to give credit to last year’s X Factor contestants ‘2 Shoes’ for giving the best impression of middle aged drunken karaoke I’ve probably ever seen, maybe even better than the real thing! There was also a young band called ‘Juice’ or something similar. They appeared to have forgotten to plug their guitars in; it was slightly surreal as they seemed to be enjoying the occasion, whilst the crowd stood motionless until a few started to shout their disapproval after a few minutes.
Headliners Rizzle Kicks came on to a great ovation and rightly so, it’s not often an act so current and one enjoying huge success and popularity comes to Bridlington. Remember this is a town that turns out in force to see Gareth Gates sing in a shopping centre or that has heated debates on the threat of ‘aggressive’ Seagulls. Rizzle Kicks ran through their three song set list with consummate ease with the crowd lapping up every minute. However next time maybe it’s not wise to ask the crowd to throw their glow sticks on stage as this went on continuously for a good five minutes, whilst the duo ducked and dived out of the way and some members of the crowd would be smacked on the back of the head with the objects in question if the people behind were particularly crap at throwing (I found this out first hand!) but hey it was all good fun and capped off an event that continues to be massive hit with the public of Bridlington and not forgetting the others that travelled far and wide to be there. This I found out later in Utopia as I stood and watched a massive fight between some people from ‘Uddersfield’ whilst I also noticed a few people from Essex stood back and slicked back their hair before returning to the dance floor once the commotion was over and the brawlers had been kicked out onto the streets.
