Seven Day Story / Stone Idols
Week 18 - 16th June 2005
By Majere

So round 2 of the L&L BOTB draws to a close on a hot and sweaty night in the old town. Maybe it's old age, or the quality of the acts on offer, but this round seems to have gone by twice as fast as the first one...

SEVEN DAY STORY - When they kicked off the L&L BOTB with First Motion, Seven Day Story impressed with both their laid-back, easy charisma and their emo-tinged rock stylings. Much has happened since then, and the band ended up languishing in mid-table by the end of the round. Clearly, it was decided that Something Must Be Done. Something was. This time around, 7DS explode onto the stage in Icarus-Line black shirts and red ties, with the frontman opting for a more Hives-like white kipper. Bathed in the frankly somewhat overwhelming glow of the new spotlights, they launch into their all-original set with an energy that borders on the alarmingly manic, like David Coleman hearing the bell on the first lap of the half-mile and prematurely engaging hysteria mode. Fortunately, this vein-popping episode is short lived- though undeniably compelling- and for the rest of the set 7DS are their more usual, cheerful selves. Despite his strong singing voice, the frontman still seems more comfortable pinwheeling about the stage playing guitar, but the showmanship on offer is impressive for most of the set. The backing vocals, shared between the two guitarists, are impeccably timed, with the only slight blip in the performance coming when 7DS attempt to invite the crowd onto the stage. It may work for the Dropkick Murhpys, but here it is the Marina security who kick the idea firmly into touch, without conceding so much as a line-out. Despite the failure of this gambit, an unperturbed 7DS still carry on to an audacious set-ending routine, where the band members gradually leave the stage one-by-one as the closing track breaks down. An impressive performance, well received by a strikingly fluid crowd.

As the Marina bar does a brisk trade catering to wilting punters, the incoming Stone Idols pull an interesting ploy by playing AC-DC's 'Highway to Hell' for their soundcheck. Interesting, in that it's not in their setlist for the night despite proving a hit with the crowd. An attempt, perhaps, to have their cover cake and still eat the 50/50 bonus? Cunning, milord!

STONE IDOLS - Frankly, it's a bit of a surprise to see Stone Idols here tonight. After sitting pretty atop the leaderboard for much of the first round, the funk-punkers were struck by the untimely departure of their drummer, forcing their withdrawal from PJ's competition and throwing their further participation in the L&L competition into doubt. Enter the drummer from Superstar Pelican, stepping into the breach to save the day. This heroic feat goes oddly uncommented on by Stone Idols' loquacious frontman, but his performance is otherwise top-notch. His shirt is rapidly dispensed with to display an impressive, well-defined torso, and the music is every bit as good as this carefully-honed physique. The spotlights throw up giant images of this talismanic individual, though even with his size so enhanced it's hard to shake the feeling that the Stone Idols model kit came missing a bass player, who had to be replaced with one in a rather larger scale. The set on display tonight is entirely original, with newer tracks supplemented by staples such as 'Falling Down' and the dangerously catchy 'Marvello Man'. This last track makes for an excellent finale, with the frontman taking rhythm guitar duties whilst the lead guitarist briefly indulges in some behind-the-head antics. Without the crowd-pleasing effect of cover versions, Stone Idols do generate somewhat less crowd response than previously, but the ebb and flow features some fairly high tides, and the reception is generally warm. On this night, it seems, everyone has won.

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