Monday 23/01/06 Bedouin Sounclash, Vernon Maytone, Mustard Club @ The Barfly, Liverpool

After winning the Liverpool 2006 Rock Star Search you’d of thought that support act, Mustard Club would be full of energy. However this was sadly not the case as they ploughed their way through their set.  The four-piece have a distinct country/rock style and have some really pretty tunes to their name along with some great harmonies from all four-band members. Sadly though they are delivered in a bland and uninteresting style and song ‘232425’ contains an almost laughable rhyming scheme in the chorus. They left the audience feeling a little bewildered as to why they chose that song to end on when there had been much stronger numbers in the set.  

The crowd are surprised and delighted to see Bedouin Soundclash’s Jay Malinowski (vocals) walk on to the stage announcing that for the next support slot the band would be backing Reggae legend Mr Vernon Maytone. Vernon features on Bedouin’s latest album ‘Sounding a Mosiac’ and was the first time that he had performed in England since 1981. The crowd went crazy for him and the atmosphere in the room was instantly lifted with the happy reggae vibes. This man may be ageing but he can still pull out the moves as he danced away encouraging the crowd to do the same.  

There's a lot of cheering for the arrival of Bedouin Soundclash onstage as they climb up to perform their set. The Canadian trio are so tight as a band its unbelievable. They have perfected the Reggae style and have not only mastered it but also added their own flavour into the mix giving it a unique edge over your typical Reggae group. This band are obviously enjoying their new found success in the UK and after a series of dates with the Ordinary Boys last October and a few festival appearances have established themselves a good fan base.  

Songs such as ‘Shelter’ reflect the bands ability as musicians. Eon Sinclair’s bass lines are simple yet rhythmically interesting and just make the room feel like dancing. This along with Pat Pengelly Drumming gets the room on a complete high as Jays Earthy lyrics and voice echo around the room. The gig's atmosphere is incredibly different from your average rock gig and the audience just seems to be chilled allowing the music to wash over them.  

The band spoke a lot about their influences and idols and performed a cover of a song written by the Clash. The covers were great but by the end felt that there was maybe one cover too many and the crowd would have preferred to hear songs from their debut album ‘Root Fire’ instead. However, the crowd appreciated learning about where the group had found their inspiration. After they finished a blinding encore including the track ‘When the Night Feels My Song’ the group came out into the crowd to speak to their fans and many were excited to see them in the bar round the corner from Barfly after the gig. It just goes to show how much the group care about the people that put them where they are today.