The Wedge - November 2005
Before a large but sedate crowd, Make Good Your Escape take to the stage. Blasting through the speakers is The Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo People’ (maybe somewhat inappropriately), whilst the members wield
their respective instruments ready to perform. As the music dies down, the sound of a single voice, soaked in reverb and haunting to the bone, catches the attention of every person in the room. Immediately the strength of the band is apparent as the vocalist makes himself seen as the owner of the voice, still singing un-accompanied and without fault. After hearing this brave and dramatic introduction, you would expect to hear nothing less than a masterpiece for the next 40 minutes. Unfortunately, what follows isn’t quite as spectacular. With the enthusiasm you would expect from a five-year-old on Christmas morning, the band work their way through a collection of solid songs you can only classify as ‘alternative rock’. Catchy choruses, driving guitar sections and hushed breakdowns - all complimented by genuinely breathtaking vocals. The song ‘Real’ particularly showcases these elements to their fullest effect. The guitar work is lively and projects well above the rhythm of the other instruments, although sometimes lacking in adventure - consequently the drums often seem to take up the role of the song’s ‘riff’ in the form of a memorable drumbeat. Their animated performance is certainly effective in drawing the audience in, but at times seems contrived and ill-suited to their brand of music. After a barrage of seven songs they are gone and once they have left the stage it is difficult to remember anything of it, bar the wonderful intro that promised so much more. With a little more direction in their music, Make Good Your Escape could be a force not to be reckoned with; but for today they will have to be content with an underwhelmed and mildly interested audience, who are waiting for the headline act to show them how it’s done.
