Guest review by Daisy Crisp.
It’s hard to remain optimistic about the current music scene while samey generic crap continues to consume the charts. So when you encounter a fresh sound that completely annihilates this norm, it’s impossible not to implode with giddy excitement! It’s safe to say that local Bedford band, The Wholls, may well be the best thing to come out of the town in a while… Or possibly ever?!
The Bedford showcase on Saturday 4th August was a sell-out smash. The B-Town bands; Dotz, The Jebs, The Scruff, CC Smugglers and headliners The Wholls brought the hype, rocking the roof off the Corn Exchange. From Hip- Hop, Indie, Urban right through to Country and Garage the glorious ramshackle proved exactly why we should be backing new talent.
The Wholls have come a long ol’ way from rehearsing in the garden shed! Since smashing it at the Battle of the Bands in December 2011, they have gone from strength to strength, forming a faithful army of Spartans and Whollettes. Standing tall before the flocking fans, front man Adam promised ‘old stuff, new stuff and a few surprises’. A dancer concealed by a cape kicked off the curiosity as she took to the stage, shortly followed by the suited and booted band. The buzzing crowd waited eagerly in anticipation; erupting once more as the disguised damsel shed her veil, treating the crowd to some saucy moves as the band eased into their chilled intro. The set sky rocketed as the familiar follower ‘Under My Hat’ got the crowd moshing and singing along in support.
‘Dreams of You’ and Maverick Sabre cover, ‘I Need’, offered a soulful slant as lead guitarist Tordy enchanted with sizzlingly smooth vocals. During their cheeky-chappy tune ‘Emily’, a mini skit added to the songs silliness as a seething girl storms the stage, only to be swept away moments later by a burly bouncer kicking and screaming in protest! After performing a few newbies like Lipstick on My Shirt, collaborator Zedo, who features on the group’s debut EP Back to the B-Hive, took to the stage fuelling the fire with feel good track, ‘Summertime Jam’. The Bedford buzz blazed on as old garage favourites had the trigger fingers swaying. As the set drew to a close, the crowd begged for an encore, bellowing out ‘B-Man’ in demand of the cult smash they were craving. And so they did, much to the delight of their frantic thumping, jumping fans! As they walked away to an uproar of applause, one thing was clear- The Wholls mean business.
If you’re kicking yourself for missing out- don’t panic. The boys were filmed and shot from every delectable angle on the night by LimeLight TV and LimeLight Photography. If you’re not already Whollin’…You really should be!
