12

Pure Class

I curse the organisation of Bloodstock sometimes. Early on Friday the two stages started to overlap, and as a consequence I missed the first couple of minutes of Captive Audio, and in hindsight I feel cheated as Captive Audio, in my opinion of course, were the best band I witnessed in the Darwin Suite over the two days. For those disagreeing with me whole heartedly right now shouting 'DEADFALL' or 'MAEL MORDHA', let me try and explain why.

Sadly due to the ludicrous overlap, the hall was virtually empty. Only a handful of about twenty or so witnessed the pure class of this three-piece from Newcastle. The first thing that was noticeable from the band was their sheer tightness. They never missed a beat, each stab was timed to perfection as if they had complete control over the music. They made it look effortless and as a result came across as the most polished act of the weekend.

With only 3 in the band, the sound wasn't cluttered as was the tendency for most of the bands in the Darwin suite. This allowed the group's power rock riffs to soar and hit the mark. Of course all eyes were on singer/guitarist Sharron Levy. She has an excellent voice both capable of being feisty and full of attitude yet also full of passion and subtlety when required. Her little movements and jigs gave her a confidence and presence on stage without it coming across as forced or generic. On the down side there were too many 'tuning' breaks that stuttered the performance, at times leaving awkward silences between songs. But their dynamic and inventive song writing skills made up for this aspect of the show.

This was a classy performance by a classy band that should, if there was any justice in this land, be massive. My fingers are crossed for them. For live gigs see their website here.