You don’t know what to expect from The Bays at The Wychwood Music Festival on June 4th? Well in some ways, neither do they!

This band have turned their backs on the traditional contract/album recording deal music bizness treadmill in favour of a improvised jam session approach. There was a buzz around the long queue for the gig in Bournemouth at the last Bank Holiday. And it wasn’t just the passing hen night girls on the weekend booze up. The rumour was that Roots Manuva was to set to appear which was just too good to good a prospect for the Hectic to miss.

Disappointingly, the anticipated freestyle emceeing session on stage with the band did not happen even though Mr Manuva was in attendance. He seemed happy just to mingle in the crowd. Well it was a bank holiday!

And that said, in some ways a review of The Bays is a little pointless as they say no two gigs are ever the same as they never rehearse, have no ‘set-list’ and don’t do ‘songs’. Not having seen them before, I don’t know how true this is but the Bournemouth set stayed close to non-stop banging house based rhythm for the best part an hour and a half.

Led by the drums of ‘leader’ Andy Gangadeen and Chris Taylor on bass with Jamie Odell (keyboards, aka Jimpster, Freerange Records and a ‘big shout’ on the credits of Jesse Rose’s Present More Than One) and Simon Richmond (samples) add the variation. At times it was a little hard work as there’s not much movement on a small stage to entertain, but when they got into some old skool techno/rave styling, the crowd really got into it.

These lot have done the industry trip in the past and have proved they’re great musicians already on other projects. As The Bays, they have the badge of a John Peel session behind them and are continuing to do their own free spirited thing. Check out the website for more info and, I’m told, free mp3s! All down to Wychwood then!

Links:
www.thebays.com “…there’s revolution in the air!”, John Peel
Sunday 11th / Monday 12th June Jazz Café www.jazzcafe.co.uk
Saturday May 20th JAMM 9pm-6am Lo-Frequency Disco www.lfdsoundsystem.com
Saturday 29/04/06 The Bays @ Consortium, Bournemouth www.consortium.co.uk