Echofest 08

And That, Ladies And Gentlemen, Was Echofest Current mood: accomplished Category: Music
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was echofest, a weekend of music, dancing, revelry and so much more. I, William Borrows, your humble scribe was there, as a punter, and as technical consultant and spiritual advisor to the much-loved underground art-rock band swiss guards. My boys. Scheduled to appear at some point on the line-up on Saturday night.
Before their appearance in this weblog however it is my duty to inform you of the events of the previous day, culminating in a wonderful performance by Market Harborough kraut-jazzers Black Carrot. Huge bassoons and rhino recorders, growling bassplayer, seated guitarists with a passing resemblance to Kid Rock. Great stuff, and a wonderful way to round off the first night of the festival. Before them the mighty echolocation, less shabily dressed than the previous times I have had the pelasure to see them perform. Greatness surely awaits them. And before them Twenty Below Zero. Frenetic yet melodic, fringy, tight jeans, singing-drummer. An outpouring of ideas. Unique. One of my swiss charges, Swiss Adam, was playing records in between the acts. I believe this practice is known as djing. The man with the skull on the stick certainly seemed to enjoy the records. Well, Halloween brings them all out onto the streets. Scooter rally record selecting star Lyn played later, a mixture of punk, Pixies and pop.
Saturday brought sore heads, scuffed shoes and dirty jeans. Foul weather and a packed running order. And swiss guards. They arrived on stage mid-evening, sometime after the soundman Peter had spent a considerable time 'using feedback to destroy feedback'. My technical expertise outdone by his I retired to ensure swiss guards were in top-notch fighting shape for the forthcoming performance. A slightly shaky start from the guards, beginning with the oldie Better Weather, the song almost collapsing under the weight of a paucity of rehearsal time. But then a surge. Into A Hole, performed live for the first time, with stirling drums and melancholic giutars. Swiss Adam, persued later for his marble eyes, resplendent in a 1957 Devon and Dorset rifles dress tunic. I'd told him to buy swiss uniform, but he just about got away with it. Applause from the house before they raised the temperature and speed with Moonwalker Blues. Gene Cernan-where are you now? From rollicking tales of lunar flights with those catchy doo-doo-doo-doos, to Time Please, one of the best in their back catalogue, all staccato guitars, bubbling bass, pleading vocals and backing vocals (from the new swiss pete. How many men will fit on one stage?). A short step for man, a giant step for mankind into their everyman anthem of bitten knuckles, swearing and gritted teeth, One Thing After Another. The highlight of their set, and any set for that matter, the tension of the day resolving itself in a fine, nay, great performance. 'That is the story of my life' one punter was heard to remark. And so it was over, bar the salutes from the stage and guitars feeding back into the night. A triumph from the Vatican city rockers. And a relief to me.

For sure it would be remiss of me not to mention the other bands from Saturday night despite my obvious preoccupation with my boys, swiss guards. The youngsters known as Peeping Thom and the Voyeurs shook the Music Cafe and the festival with their drummerless rock. Powerful voice and strong songs. Bassless Scoobeef, from the northern outpost of Preston, provided post-punk, Minutemen style jerkiness and were much admired. The Kull did their dark, classic rock thing, putting me in mind of the early Cult. Mojo and the Beatniks took us to San Francisco with flowers in our hair, and Derbyshire moptop Tim Filor got back in the saddle with a fine 4 song acoustic set, songs of binbags and jam. Great stuff. And to round it off? I hear you ask. Echolocation again, even better than the night before, Pete and Harvey prowling the stage and the area in front of the stage, Shutting Us Off. A wild time indeed. More from the garage, rockabilly, electro, punk dj's. And then home.
So there we have it. I, your humble scribe William Borrows,techincal consultant and spiritual advisor to swiss guards(did I mention that before?) reporting, from echofest 08. When's the next one gentlemen?