newsworthy

so did you see it? my first article for The Enfield Advertiser? well of course it was gonna be the music column, what else did you expect from me?

who hasn't seen it? why not, quick run and grab yourself a copy, page 26!
only 35p from our local shops for local people if you haven't had it through your door!

so is this the start of a new rock n roll lifestyle for me? will i be getting recognised in Nandos and Bar form? of course i'll sign your copy of the Enfield Advertiser!! please, no photos tho...

ok, onto the real stuff... i'll be doing my best in a kinda regular monthly-ish slot to expose people to bands that may have passed you by so far, now Flamboyant Bella are definetely no strangers to readers of my blog, but to the rest of enfield?

so lets start righting some wrongs.

here i present the 'director's cut' of the article, ok, some of the writing has a slight whiff of cheddar, but i'm trying to find my feet while ticking all the right boxes that the enfield advertiser reading demographic need ticked, it's a role i'll grow into.. stick with me!



Flamboyant Bella, Upstairs @ The Garage. 23.11.09
or as the paper titled it
For Teenage Kicks This Is Hard To Beat

If you haven't heard of Flamboyant Bella yet, fear not, you are probably not the only one, but lets fix that right now.

The Hertfordshire band have been picking up quite a following as they have bounced around the country getting teens dancing to their unique brand of sex, drugs and synth-pop.

These three guys and one girl are strong supporters of getting kids into their gigs, whether it is ensuring their shows are 14+, arranging special matinee gigs or playing at the Underage Festival earlier this year.

And in return, the youth of the nation have been showing their support for 'Flambo'.

It's perhaps a shame then that their gig last week fell upon a school night as the young four piece were back in North London headlining the intimate Upstairs section of the recently re-opened Highbury Garage venue.

The turn out fell short of previous outings in the capital but Flamboyant Bella still turned on the charm for the diminished yet dedicated crowd.

And it's easy to see why they could still get so excited, because this was nothing like a band playing to an empty room of shy, shuffling foot-tappers, everyone wanting to enjoy this gig was as close as they could possibly get and singing every word back to the band.

Their sound is hard to pin down, a unique amalgamation of pure pop spliced with post-Arctic Monkeys and Libertines indie, with shades of Friendly Fires, Klaxons and Kate Nash bleeding through while their lyrics are brash and acutely honest, yet always delivered with mix of humour and sincerety.

“call me politically incorrect, call me foul mouthed or call it tourettes” – the opening salvo of Sex for Procreation (sadly missing from the night's set) - is a fine example of their wit and attitude and an almost perfect summation of a band with tongue firmly in the cheek of a mouth that needs a good washing out.

This provides the perfect soundtrack to everything being youthful, vibrant and fearless is all about, with the audience dancing around to songs with subject matter that you pray the youngest crowd members have no experience of.

Saving the filthiest for last, Flamboyant Bella finish with the rowdy Absolutely Wankered, that captures the excesses of the 'Skins generation' and has the excitable front rows leaping and chanting the expletive littered lyrics, bringing the short, sweet and suggestive set to a suitably climactic close.