The Four Horsemen, Bournemouth
On a balmy Friday night in Bournemouth, the relief of just being able to go out, go to a bar and order a drink and go to a gig is plain to see. A sold-out audience has rewarded this town’s finest purveyors of all things Street Punk and boy did they not disappoint. The 4 Horsemen is a new venue for me and is not dissimilar to the late Mr. Smiths and the more well-known Anvil: same vibe, a live music lovers paradise. The well-stocked bar leaves you with far too many choices and the service would put most high street bars to shame. This team knows their market and deliver. The basement area is where the bands play and while floor space is space, “dancing” was in abundance this evening. So what about the show?
Support tonight comes from fellow label mates Kill The Colossi. No strangers to the local scene and in Steve Higgins they possess the hardest working drummer in Bournemouth! Adam (guitar/vox) amuses us early on while awaiting the other two to join him on stage. It’s a kind of nervous banter that seems to be working. Rowan (bass/vox) then appears to moderate cheers before a big cheer greets the diminutive Steve (drums). It’s lucky he’s so perfectly formed as stage space is minimal, to say the least – he squeezes himself behind his kit and away we go. A noisy intro reminds us all what we have missed, a bum note goes unnoticed here as they debut “On Trial”. At the front of the venue it is literally deafening, but the sound is otherwise decent. “Detonator” is also new as they get into their stride.
More newbies follow in the shape of forthcoming album tracks “Snakes and Ladders” and “Addict”. Keeping their crowd onside they dust off “Herd Mentality”, an early highlight while “Outsiders” greets one or two early movers. Rowan and Adam share vocals throughout with the odd vocal from Steve, whose mic position isn’t the best. They up their game with “Blood On The Streets” as the sound improves somewhat, despite the volume! Two more new songs are blooded (sic) before old faves “For Honour” and singalong number “Shotgun Shelly” keep us amused. They depart on “Our Way Home” and take the plaudits. There’s little to dislike about KTC, a band who haven’t sat idle in Lockdown. As these new songs suggest there’s plenty in the tank from this Street Punk trio.
And so to tonight’s headliners. Speaking with members of the band and audience pre-gig there’s an overall feeling of relief just to be let out again, to socialise, and more importantly gig. I spot Ross (vox) with a huge cast on his arm (following a work accident with a crate of bottled glass). However, this was never going to be a show stopper as he only needs one hand for his mic! Stage space is at best cramped as the band assembles onstage. Ross begins the spoken word ‘Intro’ before they literally explode into a wall of noise during “Underdogs” – something tells me that tonight will be one of those gigs where “you just had to be there”. A mix of old and new is the order of the day as they crash through belter after belter. “Form Square” precedes “Brainstorm”. By now the pit is in full flow with the band’s very own Bez (Kev) who cuts the usual energetic dash down the front. “Together” seems somewhat apt tonight, more than usual while “Black Widow” is terrific. Ross’s unfortunate accident hasn’t dampened his performance one jot, he is rabble-rousing as usual.
Shane (guitar) to his left is sporting his recently re-grown locks and wouldn’t be out of place in Ugly Kid Joe! He is grinning from ear to ear as the intensity just keeps building. Latterly Ross pays tribute to the recently departed Faren (Fazza), dedicating NBQ to him which receives great applause. Penultimate track ‘Quitters Get Nothing’ again seems apt as during Lockdown it would have been so easy to throw the towel in. They end the main set with “Self Control”. Squidboy (drums) is as energetic as ever, never staying seated at any point during the gig. Richey (bass) seems somewhat hidden throughout but is no less important, tucked away behind James (guitar/vox) who plays from the front of the stage.
A brief break means they barely leave the stage, returning with a rampant “CCTV” before the rather poignant “Seaside Resort Town”. One final energetic throng of bodies welcomes set closer “Walk Tall” and I’m once again reminded of the one thing that keeps me coming to their shows – The Mistakes just don’t do duff gigs! Ok, so this may be a comeback gig of sorts in a small venue; but bigger stages await this confident 5-piece who has everything in place. Post-Covid I feel this is just the start of something good for Dorset’s finest…
Set Listing
Intro
Underdogs
Form Square
Brainstorm
Sin City
Therapy
One Way Ticket
Together
Black Widow
Dead
Think It Over
Keep On Keeping On
Deals with Devils
That’s What You Get
NBQ
Quitters Get Nothing
Self-Control
encore
CCTV
Seaside Resort Town
Walk Tall
Video
Links
http://www.themistakes.net
https://www.facebook.com/killthecolossi
Words, Pictures & Video by Ross A Ferrone.
