They’re a little slow letting the crowd into Bedford Esquires tonight (understandable because both live rooms are hosting sold out shows) and that means I miss a good portion of deadfilmstar’s opening set. That’s a shame because they look like an intriguing proposition. Hailing from the brutalist expanse of Coventry, they’ve a sound that’s equally harsh, synth-fuelled sonics are fused with industrial guitars to create arresting soundscapes. This isn’t the type of music that hides meekly in the shadows, rather it gets up close and personal and with vocalist Gary Mobley leading the charge that’s no surprise. With a wild-eyed stare that suggests mild psychosis, a sense of danger emanates from the stage with songs such as ‘Showstopper’ packing serious punch. A set that renders deadfilmstar very much alive and kicking.

With an intriguing moniker, songs titled ‘The Antichrist’ and a guitarist sporting a King Diamond t-shirt, the omens were looking good for the Stoke On Trent quintet known as Lesbian Bed Death. Of course, you can’t judge a band on such superficial qualities, so I’m pleased to report that Lesbian Bed Death have plenty of substance to back up their style. They’ve a sound that seems tailor made for the biggest stages and after years of playing biker pubs and backstreet boozers, they’re more than ready to step up to the next level. With a vocalist radiating charisma and a band evidencing a sixth sense, they are an extremely likeable bunch with a crossover appeal that’ll attract goths, metalheads and punks in equal measure. Closing with a touch of Alice Cooper shock rock theatrics makes Lesbian Bed Death the perfect package. Future mayhem (and stadiums) beckons.

Effectively avoiding easy categorisation, Canada’s The Birthday Massacre have been labelled everything from new wave to nu-metal via electronica and goth. Their musical approach has given them a lot of freedom, yet that means the band have largely existed outside the mainstream (as if they cared) but they’ve utilised the internet to build their own universe. Subsequently, the band have left a tantalising trail of vinyl in their wake, a diverse discography that leads to their tenth long player Pathways. With that album, and the preceding nine to choose from, The Birthday Massacre have an embarrassment of riches, a Pandora’s Box with which to compile their set list but they do a good job in piecing together a collection of tracks that will satisfy both the hardcore and casual fan. There’s certainly plenty of the former in attendance and a tangible tension crackles the air as we await the band’s entrance. With the stage bathed in ice blue light, the band arrive with little fanfare and it’s an understated ingress that makes opening track ‘Sleep Tonight’ all the more powerful. Not made for somnambulists, ‘Sleep Tonight’ (and the following ‘Sleepwalking’) draws all eyes (and ears) towards the stage and holds them spellbound for the following 90-minutes. The Birthday Massacre are a riotous cornucopia of sight and sound with the glacial synths shattering and splintering, sending shards of sonics in every direction. The rhythm section lock in tightly for a wrecking ball swing, an anchor to tether the guitars, whilst vocalist Chibi, small in stature but big on voice, confidently commandeers centre stage, intent on making contact with everyone present.

This has been a long tour which has taken The Birthday Massacre the length and breadth of the UK, the penultimate night of which finds them here in Bedford. But if the band are suffering fatigue, it doesn’t show as they zip around their discography making a pit stop at every album (with the exception of 2012’s Hide And Seek) and despite the years which separate these songs they hang together as a cohesive whole. Not even a few technical issues (broken mics) can stop their progress as the band unleash a selection of fan favourites that hurtle the band towards set closer ‘In The Dark’. An exhausted crowd chant for “one more song” and The Birthday Massacre are happy to oblige, not with one, but three, the band draining the tank for ‘Blue’ before they disappear as they arrived and leave a sense of magic hanging in the air.

The Birthday Massacre Set List:

1. Sleep Tonight
2. Sleepwalking
3. Superstition
4. To Die For
5. All Of You
6. The Vanishing Game
7. Lovers End
8. All Of Nothing
9. Destroyer
10. Precious Hearts
11. Under Your Spell
12. Crush
13. Pins And Needles
14. In The Dark

Encores:

15. Happy Birthday
16. Red Stars
17. Blue