I don’t usually write reviews of bh one events. It doesn’t seem right somehow. But such was the warm glow I felt after last night’s gig, it seems a shame to let such positivity go to waste. To be honest the turnout at Champions was (once again) frustratingly poor. The Powdered Cows posse were mostly otherwise engaged, playing gigs and such, but with tonight’s crowd it was more a case of quality not quantity.

To have the opportunity to play host to a number of wonderful out of town bands, the majority of whom live up to expectations, both as performers and people is a constant joy. This can most definitely be said of My First Tooth (pictured above), who popped down from Northampton via Oxford, with sunburned knees having played at the beautifully green Wood Festival the previous day. To have The Family Buzzard back playing after an absence of nearly two years was a long-awaited treat, and brought out many familiar and friendly faces.

A solo Powdered Cow kicked off proceedings, at whilst it must be said the highlight of his set was an impromptu example of nifty key-work (ahem) from yours truly, there was evidence of a quality of songwriting which was at times was extremely impressive. A couple of songs were wide of the mark, but maybe (following a recent accident causing a head injury, leading to him “forgetting his old songs”), writing a new set in the space of a few weeks was a tall order. The Powdered Cows may not be everyone’s vache de choix, but he brings refreshing originality and quality to the local scene which should be encouraged and applauded.

Michael Wookey once cited The Family Buzzard as his all-time favourite Bournemouth band, remarking “everything else is a chore”. Bless him. But it is nigh on impossible to not love The Family Buzzard. There is charm, warmth and a quirky intelligence to their songwriting which sets them apart from other lesser-feathered bands. Okay, so one of their new songs has a riff nicked from Gene Pitney’s ’24 Hours From Tulsa’, but I’m sure he’d be more than happy to see it put to such good use. Festival organisers… still looking for bands? Look no further, the Buzzard are back!

One of the most frustrating parts about playing host to a number of wonderful out of town bands is knowing how good they are, then watching them exceed the already high expectations, but doing so in front of less people than you’d hoped and expected. I’ve had run of the mill tribute bands turning down gigs for £400 to play at Champions, plus rider of course (man, that was soul destroying), My First Tooth clearly do it purely for the love alone. Those fifty or so lovely people who decided to give MFT their time were duly rewarded with a breathtaking set of beautifully harmonious pop-soaked folk. Quite simply, My First Tooth are one of the best bands we’ve ever had the pleasure to put on. The audience clearly loved it too, as each song was received with a roar of applause. To fans of Beirut, Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens who didn’t make it along… you missed something special.

More photographs here.

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