I tend to stay out of pubs as much as possible these days for violence-avoidance and dignity-retention purposes, however last week I was lured to two such establishments on the promise of some decent live music. Although the biggest question in my mind afterwards was ‘why was I making myself feel sick drinking shandy at nearly three quid a pint, when lime and soda was only ten pence a go?’, I was also fascinated by the similarities and the differences between the three bands I saw.

The first two bands played at the Toad in Maidenhead on Monday (a completely inappropriate night for anything other than lying sulking on the sofa, in my opinion). The New Highs were a bunch of fresh faced youngsters at a very early stage in their musical careers, and no doubt intent on record deals, stadium tours, coke, groupies and so on. This was evident in their confident, well-rehearsed performance, and in their rent-a-crowd of school friends. Unfortunately, it was also evident in their bold insistence of playing only their own songs, which were of such a quality that I was unable to remember a single note or lyric of them within seconds of the performance ending. It really is not the done thing to eschew all cover versions when playing in your local (please note if this band does turn out to be the next big thing, I reserve the right to suddenly decide that their songs were really good).

More willing to play the game were the excellently named No Stairway. They played a mix of their own material and cover versions (including such pub rocker staples as ‘Mustang Sally’ and ‘Cocaine’, as well more diverse choices like ‘Babylon’s Burning’ by the Ruts). I know for a fact this band has no ambitions of ‘breaking America’ or gaining wealth and fame through their music, and the laid back attitude made for a pleasant band/audience empathy I felt. The band members all turned in creditable performances, and particularly worthy of mention was drummer Monkey, whose abilities have improved dramatically since I last heard him playing (for Projective Fences, whose ridiculous name was matched only by their ridiculous pretensions of commercial success). Considering this was the first live performance by either band, it must go down a successful evening for each of them.

The Frantix are at a different stage of their musical careers than the New Highs or No Stairway. They were playing at the Stag in Burnham, where many former Tricia audience members seemed to be drinking. The band’s years of experience were in evidence not only from the masses of equipment they had accumulated, but more importantly from the range of material at their disposal. As well as a few of their own numbers they played pop and rock covers from the sixties to the present day, and after their excellent version of ‘Little Bitch’ by the Specials incited the crowd considerably more than any of the rock and roll played previously, they were able to add several more ska tunes to their set without missing a beat. Their technical ability was very good, although I thought ‘Cross-town Traffic’ was a little over ambitious. And ambition is the death of any good pub band.

words: Harry Harris