2000 words or less
One of the great things about Guilfest is that early on in the day you get a chance to check out some undiscovered talent on the smaller stages & that's where we find Essay for the Ordinary, a ska punk outfit from London and the South East. They are a young looking six piece with a two piece brass section that manage to pull a decent crowd for an early slot on the Surrey Advertiser stage.
It takes them a song or two to really get going today with a couple of bum notes in the opening number but they are soon forgotten as they go on to deliver a surprisingly accomplished set. They are quite lightweight (think Army of Freshman) and the singer bears a passing resemblance to Lil' Chris but don't let that put you off as they are actually pretty good! The musicianship is solid and whilst they don't do anything out of the ordinary there's really nothing bad about them.
Sure they could be a bit tighter in places but they come over well and there are some fine moments, particularly from the bass player, an all important element if you're going to do ska well. The songs are upbeat and have an element of fun about them, culminating in an amusing cover of the 'Ghostbusters Theme'. The brass section get plenty of moments to shine and is supplemented by the singer adding trumpet on a couple of songs. They go down well and get a couple of people dancing and they even give out a prize for the best dancer, well OK it's a cereal bar that someone gave them earlier but it's the thought that counts!
It's a promising performance from a young band and it will be interesting to see how they develop. Give them a couple of years to hone their set and they could well turn into a band to watch out for. There are a couple of weaker songs but on the whole it's good stuff and there's plenty to build on.