Live Reviews
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Manor Quay Club, Sunderland 23rd Aug 2003
Here's a long report (cos it was a great gig and I'm going to make you all share it!) with some apologies to Ian Rankin's "Inspector Rebus" whose reporting style I have, in part, drawn on:-The Inspector was trapped in Edinburgh investigating the Fringe but rumours had reached him of strange events happening in a remote part of the Eastern coast somewhere north of Sunderland. "Mr Quimby's Beard "he mused "dinnae trust them - beards that is - go and check it out - you canna be too careful. There's something going on and I'm relying on you to find it out". I knew what I had to do and immediately started taking notes: Mr Quimby's Beard - history goes back at least 10 years - first live performance 1993 in the Sunderland area with Afresco Mantis - supported Hawkwind on tour and performed at Hawkfests 2002 and 2003. Hmm -10 years of history, I mused, as well as Hawkwind links - this definitely needed further research. I boarded the train south - it was on time - more remarkably it was empty. Nothing suspicious here but I made a note that clearly the English taking a holiday and digging up the railways lines significantly improved the entire rail network as far as Scotland was concerned. The day was bright - the scenery superb - the journey swift and trouble free - within 2 hours or so I was outside my overnight accommodation -stunned. The coastal strip north of Sunderland was a fantastic clean extensive sandy beach framed by limestone cliffs - a calm sea - a hot sun bright day and it was almost deserted. Definitely something to be noted. Quick dinner, then a walk down to the venue tucked carefully out of sight off the main road - thanks to the directions I had there was no chance of missing it - which was worth noting down - as was the fact that the venue was severely short of audience although the band playing was extremely good - elegant flute playing with solid rock guitar backing. I made a note of their name: Afresco Mantis - the band who had played with Quimby back in 1993 - and collected some evidence in the form of a CD "The Harris Tweed EP" - another Scottish connection I noted. On my return I swiftly played back the CD. Exactly what I suspected - a good, tight, powerful flowing sound - an excellent and professional band far too good to be unknown - this was vital information that needed to be passed on immediately. Back at the venue I was greeted by name as soon as I arrived not only by Marie (she and Neil were doing the lights) but by Hardy of Mr Quimby -damn - my cover had been blown before I was even through the front door, no chance of remaining anonymous here! And no time for long conversations - I was too busy collecting evidence in the form of CDs and even clothing with a Harvey Bainbridge t-shirt and then Marie had to go off and do the lighting for Harvey's show. Atypical Harvey Bainbridge style set - no concessions here I noted -a dark stage - a voice from the darkness - flowing, flickering lights on a backstage screen - starting with Coded Languages, through ambient tracks with an intensity, sometimes strident, of synthesizer sounds. The set culminated with Mr Quimby's Beard joining him on-stage in a stunning performance of Freefall with the base jumping videos as a backdrop - powerful stuff. Then Mr Quimby's Beard took centre stage and, well, all attempts at objective note-taking became thoroughly subjective impressions. Somewhere I was (I suspect) Shrouded in Mystery, lost in Darkness, Mystery, Travelling through Nebulae edged around with a Marijuana Nightmare, and carried in Chariots to Beyond the Light. Gentle keyboard and synth intros evolving into structured soundscapes with rhythmic melodic themes - some fast and very heavy - some with half recognised Hawkwind or Ozrics styles developing into melodies completely independent and unique - drifting from peace to paranoia and back again - keyboards flowing into guitars - swooping Synths - a patient, steady drumbeat to add depth - and vocals, (in honesty, more Harvey Bainbridge style denounced than sung but always adding atmosphere) with some truly glorious flowing lyrical instrumental themes (Chariots perhaps?) and Beyond the Light. And behind it all - the lightshow. Colour-burst visuals, swirling spiked lights, rotating webs, some wonderful astronomical intergalactic images for Nebulae (I assume!) with exploding supernovas in Mysteries. Then in a culminating track to close the set Harvey Bainbridge came onstage to join them for an incredibly powerful Utopia while images of a busy metropolis were followed by a kaleidoscopic blizzard of colours as everything went ballistic. Finally a small, stunned and utterly happy audience were treated to a calm instrumental track with swirling starscapes and fractal coils to finish off. So I left, passing on my way out two guys who were coming back in again - "we left but we didn't say thank you" they explained to the security man as they went back into the hall and I have rarely seen amore incredulous look on someone's face than on the countenance of that man as he stared after them. How to explain this back in Edinburgh? I wondered as I walked back along the cliff path and I knew it would be criminal not to evaluate this evidence more carefully. So on reaching the guest house I kept walking - in the dark, under a starlit sky, accompanied by the sound of waves surging onto the beach on an incoming tide - following the sea sound up to a majestic stone monument to Bede - this man who by himself preserved the History of Britain - people, events, lives known only because he recorded them. Perhaps there was a lesson to be noted there, I mused. So thank you to Mr Quimby's Beard, Harvey Bainbridge, Afresco Mantis and everyone else who took part. This is the written record - a poor one I'm afraid, but there it is. And anyone who wants to hear the recorded sound - for goodness sake get hold of one of the albums - you really won't regret it! ...... (Jill Strobridge, Aural Innovations Sep 2003)
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Hawkfest 2003, Sunday 10th Aug 2003
What a result! I was very excited to be able to finally listen to them as they put on an additional show, even though it was in the barn. With tight but amazing guitar playing, solid drums and high altitude synths, MQB drew large crowds and kept them charmed! They were excellent indeed. "7 by 7" was cool and the new song "Pollen" (?!) looks like it is going to be a classic. I managed to say hi to the guys from Jerry and asked about new material, which was smiled at. The new album was being recorded at home to keep costs down and each track was being analyzed and needs to be finalized, it should be done by Christmas!........(Andy Madden, Aural Innovations August 2003)
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Stengade 30, København 20th Apr 2002 ......Mr Quimby's Beard was up next and quickly got ready after Mantric Muse removed their equipment. I have no idea what all the songs they played were but it was an excellent space rock adventure. Mixture of Hawkwind, Pink Floyd and maybe a tiny bit of CAN! The bass player was excellent and really held the whole jamming flow together, the same way Mike Howlet of Gong does the job. Each song was like a 10 minute trip into space. The Solar Fire Lightshow, provided fantastic lights with alien images, mushroom, marijuana, planets, etc... The laser was quite cool but was crapping out on them. The band played about 100 minutes of fantastic space music. Funny, how a lot of the British people slag them as just a Hawkwind copy band. Sure, one of the lead guitar players is high HLL influenced and the way some of their guitar riffs are but they have their own unique traveling space sound. Hardy is mixed super high, unlike I have ever heard any synths before, so this gives the band a unique sound and they have long traveling jams. Great stuff... I can't wait to see them live again!........... (Scott Heller, Aural Innovations # 20 July 2002)
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Strange Daze Festival 2001, Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland Ohio. USA
So... back to Strange Daze and the headliner of the evening, Mr Quimby's Beard. Seeing the band for the first time and hearing them in a small club the week before in Columbus was exciting, but nothing could prepare me for the power of their performance in the Beachland Ballroom, a venue much better suited (in size, atmosphere, and sound) for this music in live performance. And of course the Solar Fire Lightshow serves a far better role as a visual supplement to the music in the larger hall as well. I've described Mr Quimby's Beard as a cross between Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, though having been listening to their music in depth for so long now I can tell you that despite the obvious analogies the band have a distinct voice. The music is dark, but majestic, and powerfully intense. And on this night I realized why I've been so excited about this band for over two years now. From start to finish they were in top form and there were enough people crowding the front of the stage digging it all to keep the band members inspired. They played nearly all the songs I could have hoped for... "Darkness", "Mystery", "Nebulae", and "Beyond The Light", all from The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries Of album, "Travelling" and "Bringing Up The Acid" from Out There, the absolutely PHENOMENAL "Marijuana Nightmare", and what seemed like nearly 30 minutes of new music. ("The Forest Song" was scheduled but apparently never made any of the shows this tour.) "Beyond The Light" was an excellent choice for an encore, and the band brought up Nik and Harvey for a rousing cover of Hawkwind's "7x7". If you're a space rock fan then Mr Quimby's Beard's recordings are (in this fans opinion) about as MUST-HAVE as any band can get. Hell, even Keith Henderson - a far sterner critic than myself - said he thought they were the best headliner he's seen at Strange Daze yet!....(Jerry Kranitz, Aural-Innovations #18 January 2002)
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The
Royalty, Sunderland, 30th March 2001 Playing to an enthusiastic hometown crowd Mr Quimby’s Beard set a relaxed atmosphere from the very first note. Their unique blend of space & psychedelia captured the audiences attention firmly and their dedicated followers were not disappointed with a performance rarely seen from most bands. Starting off very much in your face the sounds were hard and loud, but not overly loud, mellowing almost immediately to grasp the moment to give renditions of a few classics from ‘The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries Of…’ playing them with as much feel and depth as the album itself. Ray (Guitar & Vocals) was stood in front of the stage; this was due to the small Royalty stage being unable to cope with this five piece and their equipment. The rest of the band: Hardy (Keyboards-Synths & Vocals) Kidd (Bass) Jim Walton (Guitar) Chris Walton (Drums) just managing to squeeze onto it. After cracking versions of Darkness and Mystery they indulged the crowd in some new material, all of which was blinding stuff. The light show was out of this world casting moments of vintage Hawkwind into the fray. The smoke machines were working overtime, filling the venue, allowing the beams of light to shoot through the crowd, enhancing the experience of a band set for a bright future. The set was just over 90 minutes and it was filled with many familiar songs, Travelling and Bringing up the Acid from the album ‘Out There’ and the classic Marijuana Nightmare from the self titled ‘Mr Quimby’s Beard’ were interwoven with new material and a hand full from the latest offering ‘The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries Of…’ The audience roared their approval and made their appreciation know throughout the set and the band rolled with that flow. Mr Quimby’s Beard is a band who takes their listener on a thrilling journey through space and time, their music is true spacerock at its best. That is why they are well supported and are gradually climbing the ladder of this type of music. Their finale was a great version of Hawkwind’s ‘Hassan I Sabre’, which the crowd lapped up no end. This band’s attitude towards the music I love is like a breath of fresh air to the whole genre, they took me through the realms of space and looked and sounded like many bands aspire to be. Mr Quimby’s Beard are one of the best bands I’ve seen in a long time, I just hope the next time I see them it will be on a bigger stage because they certainly have the quality and ability to show other bigger named bands a thing or two, if given a chance! A must see band....(Albert A Pollard, Aural-Innovations )
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