Predominantly a student venue, the Faversham does exactly what it says on the tin, and you know what to expect: tight jeans, fruity dresses, lots of hair and pointy shoes. Which is all good, and there's a certain familiar safety within the routine Saturday night student crowd. There is however nothing safe or mundane about the first act on the bill. To put it bluntly Café Adam are absolutely ridiculous, but that's the whole point! Comprising the technical ability of Jazz bassist Adam Richards and manic vocal talents of Adam 'Benbow' Browne, the two Adams have undeniably created something that they can entirely call their own.I feel it's important to point out that I have seen Café Adam before, because musically and conceptually they are quite difficult to digest. Heavily influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, The Fall and extreme electronic music pioneers Whitehouse, Café Adam sound like Techno Pop terrorists. Very political and very un-PC at the same time, they blast out songs about wearing women's clothing, cooking 'poncey' food and why you shouldn't take a full time job at a bank. Armed with slogans like 'Café Adam will take your face off' Adam 'Benbow' Browne delivers his lyrics with a manic jerkiness reminiscent of Ian Curtis and with all the pompous melodrama of a Morrissey chorus. It may take you a little time to fully 'get' Café Adam but it might just be worth the effort.
I have to admit I had never heard Mr Beasley before and didn't know exactly what to expect. I heard names like Moloko, Massive Attack and Groove Armada being rattled around in an attempt to describe Mr Beasley's sound. If truth be told the band encompassed elements of all these groups, whilst still having a fairly individual sound. This Hull based electro-funk quintet seemed to have quite a following, lots of people in the crowd singing along to songs that were very familiar to them. The band used a mixture of electronic beats combined with elements of live instruments to create an incredibly funky 'party' type of atmosphere. Sarah Johns' stunning vocals had the depth, soul and sex that were needed to make the band feel like a complete package.
It was nice to see some amazing trumpet playing in front of an audience whom I suspect would probably never usually come across much jazz or funk type stuff. The band seemed to drift effortlessly though their set, which was punctuated with a little bit of light-hearted banter. The crowd danced away and there wasn't a single frown in the whole place. Mr Beasley may not make a huge impact upon the musical landscape but they do have a fun and interesting sound, which make them a great live band. There is definitely a time and place for this type of music, I'm not sure if I'd want to sit at home and listen to Mr Beasley. Bands like this go hand in hand with crowds, alcohol and Saturday nights, because of this I'm sure that a good time was had by all.
