Hester Thale and Murry the Hump

At first the line up seemed the wrong way round... Why would a local band, hardly ever mentioned in the nationwide music press be playing after a band tipped for great things by the aforementioned papers? But then Oxford do do things the other way round.

However Murry the Hump were undaunted by the fact that today they were the warm-up band. It's difficult to describe their musical style. The first thing that springs into the mind is that of other Welsh groups. But this is not a fair comparison, as it is only based on their nationality. They sound nothing like the bigger Welsh groups, like Stereophonics and the Manics. The nearest group to their sound is Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but they still sound completely different. The set itself was brilliant. They played the songs off the current single Don't Slip Up and Thrown Like A Stone. They also played their first single Green Green Grass of Home. And tracks off their new single. Perhaps the songs that show the diversity of the band are Kebab or Shag, the punkiest of all the tracks, and Thrown Like A Stone, a song that stands out for its simple melody and overall feel.

Apparently the bloke 14th in line to the throne or something was in the audience for Hester Thrale, who had a load of student friends watching them. But we already have our royalty here (sorry I know it's corny). Hester Thrale should be the band to replace Ultrasound as the Princes of Great Guitar Noise. Although as yet they don't have the stage presence of Ultrasound (OK they're not as large anyway), they are improving with every gig. They have managed to combine both their great musical skills and to provide entertainment. This is not easy (ie Bernard Butler). They have done it in a refreshing way, showing off their musical abilities without going into endless guitar solos. If bands were like a football team then Hester Thrale would be a manager's dream. While the drummer (the goalkeeper) stays at the back providing the backbone but with amazing spots of genius, the three up at the front (the attackers/midfielders) change instruments and generally shared the limelight. But then at the end even the drummer comes up to play the keyboards.

So maybe the order of the groups were right. Murry the Hump were easier to listen to, and gently eased the audience to the music. While Hester Thrale gave us the more challenging point of view but still gave us the opportunity to admire their skills.