A little bit of history leading up to this show, Beecher and the Architects were supposed to play here, and on tour two months ago, but due to illness never took place, so the excitement and anticipation when it was rescheduled was running high tonight. And yet still, the atmosphere and attitude created by the audience is still pretty indifferent, perhaps due to the weather, but still made the whole event a little enjoyable as to what it could have been. This however could be argued that it is because, Beecher are still a much underappreciated band who no one is totally sure whether to, or how to, enjoy. They are signed to Earache records, famous for its bland/death/grind metal roster, while their sound is one much more diverse than it’s stable mates, their earlier work gives them appreciation within the hardcore scene, whereas, much like Refused’s ‘Shape of Punk to Come’, those fans flinched at the much more developed sound of Beecher’s new album. And finally, because they make such aggressive music, people find it hard to get into them, which is their loss to be honest, but it’s true that due to singles ‘Function! Function!’ and ‘Dead for Weeks’ you wouldn’t think that they actually make very intelligent music from those examples alone, which is all of what most of the public has heard.

Regardless, local band and Beecher fans ‘Capability Brown’ open the show to their slightly indifferent audience, with a combination of bizarre music which pays homage to bands such as Orchid, (early) Dillinger Escape Plan and Fantomas. They are, as a band full of ambition, and the two of them at times sound brilliant, but due to poor sound levels, and the occasional miscalculation between the two, they sound a little “noise for the sake of noise”. Still, once they get into their set, they pick up great pace with a tightness that shows their potential, and a very dry sense of humour which gives at least some enjoyment to those who don’t get it.

Next up are Brighton’s Architects as label mates Days Ago couldn’t get there due a “flat tire, or something.” As explained by Architects front man Matt. They have a stunning list of influences from Meshuggah and The Black Dahlia Murder to Mogwai and Explosions in the sky, with touches of Isis and Deftones for good measure; this is a band who appreciates music, and it really shows when you witness them live. Stunningly tight music with riffs a plenty and a clever use of harmonics and sounds which are dropped in at just the right times and will make you wince with pleasure, they really are that good. It’s no surprise then that, only just over a year in their existence that they’ve played with bands such as Napalm Death, Nile, and God Forbid given just how exciting this performance is, and they are clearly a band destined to go very far. In a year or so, this is a band you will want to see live over and over again.

And so, finally are headliners Beecher who confidently walk on stage and open up with the fantastic ‘Its good weather for black leather’ with fantastic emotion and vigour that proves instantly why they are becoming such an important band to British music. Fantastic, warm sound levers and textures from the instruments just simply add to the already fantastic songsmanship displayed by Beecher and the tightness of it all makes it simply perfect. A dodgy microphone and the sound limiter, which, despite the ferryboat’s sound proofing as of last week, has not been reset yet, try to prove Beecher’s worth wrong, but fail, as they still continue fine without vocals and when the sound limiter cuts them during ‘Not Guilty’ it’s amazingly on the beat and time with the song. Still for the moments they do have vocals and no sound limiter troubles they sound perfect, particularly on storming renditions of ‘Function! Function!’ and ‘I won't miss, or be missed’ where every moment is to be savoured due to pure experience of it. What also adds to their set is the inclusion of a sixth member who provides the stage lighting/effects ala Mars Volta. This means that it gives extra visual enjoyment along with the spazzy movements of the bands performance particularly on the aforementioned ‘I won't miss, or be missed’ with its blast-beated intro applied with strobe lighting, is simply captivating.

All and all, a fantastic performance which proves Beecher's worth completely and how they should be much more appreciated then they sadly are. But like all great innovative bands, people will catch on, and people will soon be heeding this name: Beecher.

Adam Turner-Heffer