One Stop Earnest / Faded Theory
Week 6 - 24th March 2005
By Sharkey

Wow what a week this was. Two well known local bands, the legendary ska-punk group One Stop Earnest and a welcome return for Faded Theory. I have to apologise to FT for missing half their set as I was otherwise engaged and had to leave early, thanks to Foggy for taking the pictures.

One Stop Earnest - Immediately exploding onto stage with an adaptation of an old Glen Miller song put One Stop into swing immediately. Showing that after all the absence they havn’t lost any of their punch or panache for working strange songs into ska (anyone remember ghostbusters?).

All the songs they played (aside from the reworked intro) were originals. Excellently constructed songs that seem to move away from what One Stop had when they were first starting out. Now it seems that they are working up a new kind of Progressive Ska-Punk genre mixed with lots of other elements. Needless to say the songs had me captivated.

Aside from their new material they also played some of their classic songs that got them famous in the area (such as “Morticia” and “Get Off The Train”) provoking a huge cheer from the crowd and all the One Stop fans. Right from the start of their set they had skankers and moshers galore, the second biggest crowd we’ve seen on the dance floor this year. Some definite manic skanking going along to the fast ska songs.

All songs were excellently played and some really nice harmonic vocals used in their songs provided mostly by the lead guitarist but some by the drummer and one of the trombone players. It’s not often you find bands with brass sections in, and even rarer with one’s that are good. Although at a couple of points the lead trombonist slipped a bit, everything was really tight and complimented the music brilliantly.

I noted that some of the songs had some very smooth transitions between each number, some excellent work put in here to pull this off. Alongside the guitarist manic ability to switch between distorted and clean guitar very quickly and not slip up (I’ve seen it happen) with his playing technique.

Everyone putting a lot of energy into the performance especially the guitarist who was not afraid to move about to the music. Even at the end of their set the skankers were dancing away. As described by some, they were “Madness gone mad”.

Faded Theory - A short review as I missed most of their set…but still…who doesn’t love that little bass player, despite being small in stature he is a pretty damned good bass player.

Well I didn’t think we were going to see FT this year as they had to drop out from the battle a few weeks ago, but due to The Gangsters dropping out they were straight in to fill the spot.

This is the first time I’ve seen them without Jo (former singer and prestigious reviewer). Excellently sung and played by all the members with some brilliant guitar solo’s. They had a very professional attitude for their age although there wasn’t much attitude coming from anyone other than the singer.

But still, from an all original set it was really good and energetic music. Glad to see Faded Theory have moved on past the covers stage and are moving into writing (and with good results).

Anyway that’s all from me this week, next week I won’t be reviewing as I am away. But Look forward to The Chase vs Crosshair! Its going to be a good one.

Jo writes:

What a huge turnout! Over 500, and One Stop were lovin’ it. After various excursions to Uni and far-flung corners of the globe, the 2002 PJ’s Battle winners were back on fine form. I’ve always found it strange that, while on a national scale ska is mocked and marginalised, it’s almost always the most popular of local genres. Perhaps it’s because people just like to dance and listen to some upbeat tunes. And there was certainly plenty of that here – not a single cover I heard, and yet they were so well executed that the floor wasn’t empty for a moment.
Now some people are going to butt in here and say OSE have been going for ages and it isn’t fair, this is a competition for new bands only… but if Lock n Load say they’re allowed in, they’re in. And how lush is it to hear some good, catchy, original music here? Personally, I always enjoy it when other instruments other than guitars are introduced into a band; it shows ingenuity and thinking outside the box, as long as it’s done well. And with hand on heart I couldn’t find a thing wrong with the performance. The singer must’ve swallowed a bag of sugar he was so bouncy, the harmony vocals actually fitted, and the musicianship was second to none. And the band looked to be enjoying themselves as much as their fans - which makes all the difference.

Will they get marked down for playing all originals, in Battle Of The Covers? – Tom (ooh, touché!)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy! – Some girl in the pit

And so… Ah, for those of you who have just joined us, Faded Theory is my old band. It’s the first time I’ve seen them in their present incarnation, and I must say I felt more than a few pangs of nostalgia at hearing Have You Ever during soundcheck. The band have been busy since I left – virtually all-new set with at least 3 new original songs and a few well-selected crowd pleasing covers. Unfortunately, what immediately struck me was Brewster’s vocals. Not only was it frequently slightly out of tune, the right notes were often not being sung; this was particularity noticeable in the covers and it created a monotonous, level effect, but I expect this will get better as he grows and develops a larger range. Lack of real stage experience could also account for there not being much participation with the audience, and little stage presence - and that last point goes for all the boys. Smile up there, it’s fun! Although the introductions to each song were good and useful, and I always like shout-outs, it does make me feel loved.
Eventually, a modest crowd of fans were up and dancing, especially to the Lostprophets cover which was ace. And all hats off to Loz’s drumming, which despite ridiculous outlays for ever bigger and shinier kits, just gets better every time I hear it.
Just get that poor boy some Strepsils and there’s no reason why you can’t go far. Best of luck.

Jo’s Ass Is Huge! – Oh yeah, and yours isn’t, Loz? ^_^
They’re doing all right, actually – Pete, Fenrir

Majere writes:

What a belting crowd! The 500 barrier is broken with style- I arrived a bit late to avoid queuing and failed miserably. If this keeps up, the second round will be carnage...

ONE STOP EARNEST - Well, right from the start it was clear that this was going to be just that little bit special. From the moment the curtains slid back to reveal two fat, shining trombones which promptly spoke with a satisfyingly clear sound, One Stop Earnest were flying. It didn't take too long before their infectious ska-punk was causing spontaneous outbreaks of skanking throughout the hall, and soon a crowd of utter loons were assembled before the stage, windmilling, jigging and pogo-ing (is that a word?) like crazy.

Veterans of the BOTB stage, One Stop Earnest were confident enough to leave the covers firmly out of the set and suffered not one jot for it, keeping the crowd's interest even when things developed a harder, more experimental edge. (Of course, Ska-punk is not my field of expertise, so they could have slipped one in there without my noticing!) Worthy of special note were the vocals- for my money some of the best pure singing we've seen in the competition so far, harmonising with the trombones and the guitars and on one occasion, delivered unaccompanied.

Truly great stuff. Of course, no review is complete without some criticism- there were moments when the more experimental parts of the set didn't quite seem to work,
and the band were fairly static onstage, especially the trombonists (though I suspect this was due to the way they were micced). These pettifogging nitpicks cannot, however, disguise the fact that this was a great, original set played to a large, enthusiastic crowd. Clearly Jimmy the Shoe-shine boy doesn't quite know everything- Ska is here to stay!

Majere thinks One Stop Earnest should cover: 'Monkey Man' (Reel Big Fish)

INTERLUDE - Having decided that getting anywhere near the bar is a labour fit for Hercules, Majere's further wanderings are cut short as Suzi cruelly staples him to a chair to make sure no-one nicks the management's seats. Revenge comes in the form of allowing various cronies and younger relatives to do just that. (Just kidding, Suzi!)


Faded Theory are the second band to be subbed into the BOTB due to another band (The Gangsters) pulling out, though in their case they were due to play the competion anyway until illness struck. Perhaps it was due to the slightly last-minute nature of the performance, but to me, at least, this set seemed a little short of the formidable reputation the band have built up. The set was cover-heavy, kicking off with Hell is For Heroes before moving on to the Deftones (bias alert- I really don't like the Deftones!) With the crowd still largely unmoved except for the heroic efforts of some girls to play 'ring-a-ring-a-rosie' in front of the stage (presumably a new interpretation of the 'circle pit'), the right note was finally struck by the Lostprophets' 'Last Train Home', which brought the now familiar rush of dancers from all corners of the hall to the front. A quite good cover of Billy Talent's 'Try Honesty' was perhaps a little obscure to generate the same buzz, and the crowd gradually thinned. Not one, but two broken guitar strings certainly didn't help the overall performance, but the last two tracks, 'Fly by the Sun' and the aptly-named 'Closer' were stormers that ensured that things at least ended on a high note.

Though it is never wise to single out one member of a band for criticism, I feel I have to mention that I felt the lead vocals let Faded Theory down somewhat tonight. The Hell is For Heroes cover especially had some nasty examples of high notes being replaced by lower ones that didn't really fit, and most of the other covers had some similar problems. Of course, the extremely high quality of One Stop Earnest's vocals threw this problem into somewhat starker relief than might otherwise have been the case. There was, however, no shortage of effort or honesty on the part of any member of the band, and the guitar work especially was stunningly good at times. Overall then a flawed set, but one that was certainly not devoid of merit- it's just a shame that the band felt unable to play a full set with the broken strings, but having never played guitar, let alone played one that's acting up, I don't feel qualified to criticise that decision!

Majere thinks Faded Theory should cover: 'Underdose' (InMe)

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