Random Hand, JB Conspiracy and Stillbust @ The Frog and Fiddle Cheltenham. Wednesday 13th October 2010

As far as first shows go Thirsty & Miserable’s first show in Cheltenham showed a level of ambition which is rare in new promoters. To put a line up on with essentially two headline quality acts is a huge statement of intent and shows that there are big things to come from this company. With tickets at a bargain seven pounds on the door the show unsurprisingly started to fill out as soon as doors opened giving openers Stillbust an adequate audience.



Within seconds of the opening song local hardcore four-piece Stillbust had enthralled the growing audience with their unique musical styling. The combination of hardcore, punk and occasional ska styled upstroke certainly make this band memorable. This is a band who put everything into every live performance and I could never imagine them playing at half effort. Within what didn’t seem like long enough the band finished after compelling the entire crowd for the full length of the set.



After the audience had been warmed up with the energetic performance from Stillbust the JB Conspiracy took the stage and proceeded to fly through a balanced set of old and new songs with brief pauses for witty intermissions. The technical skill level of the band was highlighted with a combination of saxophone and organ playing at the same time. This is a band whose reputation is widely based on their live performances and it is clear that every part of this reputation has been earned and is deserved. JB Conspiracy have a unique take on the ska punk genre and are deservedly at the fore front of the scene in this country alongside tonight’s headliners Random Hand.



Random Hand linked the line up together by taking similar hardcore elements to Stillbust and combining them with the more traditional ska and skacore styles taken by JB Conspiracy. The varied styles that have been mixed together to form the developed sound of Random Hand are diverse and numerous but one thing is clear every aspect has been beautifully combined into something fresh and original.



Again the live performances have been a large part in creating the reputation the band has and if tonight was anything to go by they deserve to increase in reputation ten fold. Every song was perfectly balanced within the set as tracks from the new album ‘Seething is Believing’ were mixed with offerings from the previous two records. As the set continued the audience became more and more enthralled and it was clear this was a special show.



Those who missed this show missed three bands at the top of their game playing their hearts out. The intensity, which each act played with, created a fantastic spectacle and credit must be given to the promoters for putting together such a show. If I were to give you one piece of advice it would be to go and see all three bands at the earliest opportunity you have, also don’t forget to support your local DIY promoters as without them there would be no music scene in your town.