BareBones And Cabaret: An introduction to your new favourite band
Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:49 pm

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So obviously I've seen 'em live...I've got pictures in their gallery to prove it. And some words...

Last time I saw these lads play was at La Commune Café just over a month ago. To be honest with you, I was pretty damn drunk, but still knew I liked them enough to make sure I went along to their next gig in the mighty Tron. I remember they rocked out till the wee hours and I was looking forward to seeing them do it all over again at Go Vino on Saturday night.
After such a beautiful sunny day, heading over to their pre-show at the bar turned out to be quite the afternoon delight - enjoying their acoustic tunes mixed with the last of the blue skies along with orange and vodka. All we needed were some Shrewsberry biscuits on that couch and we would’ve been set for life in my books. Neatly arranged on a platform on the footpath it was brilliant to see them attract the attention they deserve and even receive an offer from the café next door to play there later in the year. Nice work fellas!

An unexpected treat of the evening was Tim Steers’ solo performance which wowed me right from the start. Showing up in his skinny black jeans and white shirt neatly tucked in with a black tie, he sat down to play us his original tunes transforming the bar into an intimate lounge - smiling and explaining his songs as he took us on an acoustic journey filled with love and happiness.
I had no idea that the British chap performed outside of his popular band The Lookie Loo’s, but boy, how I look forward to seeing what else he has up his sleeve in the future.

It was also nice to see the support from BareBones And Cabaret’s front-man, Matt Yearbook, who enjoyed yelling out to Tim in-between songs. Sometimes rather suggestively…but I must say it was accepted with open arms and provided the rest of us with many laughs and entertainment.
That’s one thing that makes the BareBones guys stand out from the rest - they’re oh so rock n’ roll with their ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude that it makes them impossible not to love. I haven’t seen many bands pull that off without coming across as arrogant bastards, so you could say their behaviour is almost a welcomed treat. You might even go as far as calling this ‘big man’ attitude refreshing in an around about kind of way.

Busting out mainly original tunes with the exception of few covers, these lads put on a swell show at Go Vino, receiving applaud not only from us kids, but the bar manager too! I must say though, I think my most loved moment was when they performed their own song, Skins. Matt Yearbook informed us in his increasingly drunken’ state that this song was ‘about someone I used to know…he’s a cock.’ Such a shame – it’s a beautiful song!
Something I really like about the group’s music is that you don’t have to know their stuff, to feel like you know it…if you know what I mean. Their tunes are so catchy that by the time the chorus comes round for the second time, you’ll be singing along like it’s an old-time classic.

Now, I don’t think these guys turn up to their gigs with a set in mind…it comes across as they just decide what they feel like at the time and play as though it’s another band practise. Sometimes stuffing it up, but doing it with such charm and charisma that you can’t help but chuckle and wonder what the lads might pull out next. Studying them play is like watching partners in crime...plotting and scheming with cheeky smirks on their faces making it hard to believe that they only formed in July last year. You’d swear they’d been performing together since they were kids with their obvious love for playing as a band and the talent they bring as a whole.
Catch these lads now before they realise they’ve got the potential to charge us big bucks to enjoy a piece of their jive time action!

Amanda Ratcliffe