Band looking forward after cracking first year (From Thurrock Gazette)

Band looking forward after cracking first year

7:40am Monday 11th February 2013 in News

SOMETIMES the best things are born from three mates jamming together for the love of music.

No great expectations, hunger for fame or desire to be filthy rich, just a shared love of music and a willingness to transmit tales of life’s twists, turns, ups and downs.

For Neil Lewin and Neil Davies, of South Ockendon, and Tony Buckley, of Purfleet, otherwise known as Bow Flats, that’s what being a band is all about.

Last year, the Thurrock trio’s first as a group, was a good one. After forming in the early part of the year, they hastily put together some tunes and entered a Battle of the Bands competition.

Out of 80 local groups that entered the contest, hosted by Brown’s in Grays High Street, Bow Flats came third. Not bad for a band in their infancy.

As they grow in stature, they are now looking to forge an image for themsleves. Alan Ford, who stars as Bricktop in Snatch, forms part of that image.

The name Bow Flats comes from a short sketch by Armando Iannucci in which Ford, who plays an angry Eastender, is on his way to Bow Flats to “sort someone out”.

Among their gradually expanding repertoire there is even a song called Battle of Alan Ford, so-called because of its aggressive nature and suitability to back a typical Ford character outburst.

But Bow Flats’ sound is more than just a decent backing track to a violent film scene.

The group draw influence from some of the greatest rock-pop bands of the past 20 years, such as Supergrass, Foo Fighters and Crowded House.

As “I Don’t Know You” begins, one of three tracks added to the band’s Reverbnation page, you find yourself cranking up the volume until you realise Nick Davies’ ordinarily delicate vocal is bellowing out at rather anti-social levels.

But that, quite literally, speaks volumes for how catchy and moreish the band’s sound is.

On Friday night, they are playing at Chinneries, in Southend, a gig which bassist Nick Lewin is looking forward to.

He said: “We’re hoping to go up a level following that gig. “Over the next year, we’re hoping to get a few local gigs and some in London.

“We’re getting on a bit in age. We’ve been there and done it before. “We’re under no illusions, but we’re having a good time playing our music. We don’t mind what might come of it.

“We have been mates since school and been in bands together – this is the first chance we’ve had to do this project though.”

To listen to Bow Flats and find out more, visit www.reverbnation.com/ bowflats