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Wille and the Bandits. Grow Tour

Venue: The Winchester
Town: Bournemouth
Date: 5/11/13
Website: http://www.willeandthebandits.com

Tonight's venue couldn't be more apt for Wille and the Bandits; there's a diverse crowd clutching their drinks and squinting through the haze pumped out by the over-zealous operator of the smoke machine, there's the pungent, sweet scent of incense and headshops creeping through the bar and there's a heavy dub soundtrack from the DJ between support slots dedicated to storytelling, slap-and-slide blues. The stage, though, is cramped and dominated by the sight of a towering electric double bass and a weathered drum kit adorned with the band's logo - both instruments will have a major role to play later in the evening.

Indeed, by the time Wille Edwards takes to the stage with his dreadlocks pouring from a top hat, the restless audience is more than ready for the wall of sound that the Bandits deliver on demand. From it's blues beginnings, to it's reggae basslines and it's brilliant slide guitar solos, this set swerves and dives and soars but rarely fails to invigorate and rouse it's audience.

Keep Your Head Up is a perfect opening track - it's got a funky, danceable rhythm, a galvanizing positive chorus and an outro that allows Wille to showcase his considerable talent to play the guitar. Next up is Butterfly For a Day as the band continues to deliver its positivity, this time with a wandering, psychedelic bridge and rattling, marching drums.

Wille introduces the next track by saying 'this is about how we could do better as a human race sometimes' and then delivers the perfect anthem for his message. Got to do Better is the evening's first insight into Edwards' political motivations and features a begging breakdown as he repeats 'Better' as his guitar, the bass, and drums settle around him. It's a heartfelt, poignant message that hopefully resonates with the audience.

A cover of Peter Green's Black Magic Woman follows and allows for Wille to exhibit a majestic, ringing solo on the slide guitar over galloping bongo drums before the band revive Mammon from 2011's album Breakfree to resounding cheers from an audience whose knowledge and loyalty is enough to recognize the song within the first few twangs of sweet acoustic guitar. It's another song with a message from Edwards as he calls 'We celebrate conformity, not our humanity or the power of our minds.'

Single Gypsy Woman makes a huge impact as the bass player's hands wander across his fretboard and Wille's raw, unpolished vocal finds it's best platform. The level of noise is bone shaking, the chorus is catchy and it's easy to see how this track narrowly missed out on a number one in the blues charts after it's release in October.

Why'd You Do It is another song that is massively augmented by the band's stage presence and their ability to add energy and potency to their songs when performing live. A track that starts of with genuine reggae stylings then features a Spanish-style guitar solo before Wille finally turns his attention to the slide guitar; this song becomes a microcosm of the bands' skill and diversity of influence and style.

Sadly, a sincere Still Go Marching In doesn't receive the attention it deserves from a crowd who have no intention of slowing down at this stage of the performance but who are simply blown away by set closer Angel that is a monumental piece of instrumental post-rock that charges and retreats and builds upon a monolithic bassline to display the individuality, non-conformity and uplifting brilliance that Wille and the Bandits champion in all of their music.

Elliot Watson