The bar was packed and at 8pm sharp the door openned into the fair sized music room and I was first in through the door. With name on the guest list as promised, I was feeling more than welcome and lined up for a great night.

The initial meeting with Beckett was warming, a pint placed in my hand and it was like catching up with old friends. With the first band playing, it gave me ample time to have a chat with frontman Ben Fisher.

Ben explained to me the passion behind Beckett and I was sold on his openness, honesty and expressivness. He spoke of the band wanting to be powerful and emotive through their music. Their message was to recognise the pressures of modern day life and to give hope and empathy to others in a world where 'people don't talk'. Through music and performance he wanted to turn 'negatives into positives' and 'raise spirits'.

'Karmas Coming Down' started the set with a mellow and moody atmospheric introduction. Straight away Beckett's distinctive style and sound was evident. The number demonstrated a rare subtelty in performance which was immediately engaging. Then without warning it fired up with energy passion and a great rhythm.

With the audience warming up and some clear supporters in the audience, it was a great start.

The venue, stage size and sound quality was excellent. This gave Beckett the perfect environment in which to give their all and deliver their message through 'emotive, powerful and melodic rock'.

'Landscape' demonstrated a strong vocal performance with a hint of 'Cold Play' about it. David Bridge (Guitar), Greg Steebush (Bass / Vocals), and Kevin Hill (Drums) all contributed superbly to the arrangement. All held a stage presence and were more than confident in their environment.

I have no doubt that any 'Cold Play' comparison will irritate Beckett. Ben assured me that this was not an influence. However, the trademark signature of the band and the high inflection in the vocals does draw the comparison. This is neither good or bad, it is just a fact. I am sure that Beckett may find a way to use this to their advantage.

'Oxygen and Me' is their latest hit and well deserved the No 1 Spot on BandsUnsigned. It demonstrated variety and by all standards a highly professional and polished arrangement delivered with a meaningful performance.

It was at this point that my attention turned back to the audience. The warming up stage was over but the dynamics of the audience was not changing. They had settled into a comfort zone. It was as if many wanted to get more involved but were waiting for the 'fuse to be lit'.

'Natural Feeling' although with its fast rock pace did not seem to provide the fuse or the match and I was willing for that 'chemistry' to kick in.

'Brusied Feet' showed that Beckett were a band of substance with great song writing ability. Although Ben refelcted that they had moved on from this track, it still represented everything good about Beckett.

For my money, an acoustic arrangement would hae fitted in well for the next track, but such arrangements were not favoured by Beckett. They expressed a view that their songs did not necessarily fit comfortably with this and it was not their favoured approach.

My Star' was a haunting number with Greg providing an impressive vocal harmony and 'Set Us Free' provided the end Rock Anthem. It was now time to really reflect on the performance and something was troubling me, the hairs on the back of my neck had not been raised. It was time to work it out.

The audience had warmed to Becket but had remained in their comfort zone. One telling sign to any performance is the semi-circle of space left by audiences in front of the stage. Crowd dynamics need to be understood to be conquored. It is almost out of politeness that an audience leave this space, not wanting to invade and incroach too far on the band. However, the irony is that bands invariably want the audience to encrouch on their space and get up and personal. As a rule of thumb, the further away the audience the less involved they are.

It is an art to get people forward, but to manage this right at the start of the gig is essential. Trying to do it half way through looks a little desperate and too late. It has to be done by the frontman or woman right at the start. There are techniques to do this but it takes practice.

The other significant factor was that whilst the audience were in their 'comfort zone' Becket were in theirs. After the first couple of numbers, the performance, (not the music but stage presence), was becoming predictable at an early stage. As the performance progressed, this mould was not broken. The passison in the music was undoubted but it was introspective and was not being projected. The performance was too safe and there was no element of risk.

In my view, every performance should contain an element of risk, whether it be sponteneity or improvisation. Communication with the audience whether vocal or by non verbal communication is essential to get them out of their comfort zone and engaged.

After the gig, Ben made the analogy that Becket were currently in the Championship First Division and were seeking to get into the Premiership. This is a fair assessment although I would suggest that they were in the mix somewhere in the middle of the First Division and at this level, although excellent, need to keep on experimenting to develop.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and Beckett as individuals and as a group reflected everything that was good about the Unsigned Band scene. They are a significant band with potential and their aims to get more into the London scene should be realised.

Phil Greenwood

UK Bands Network