Josephs Well is dead tonight, so much so that I thought I?d got the wrong day. In
listening to Caffeine I presumed they would have attracted a healthy sized crowd due to their mainstream Pop/Punk style and catchy tracks, yet there can?t be more than 30 people here. The band blame it on a lack of publicity and remain optimistic, claiming that it?s a good thing as their new drummer Nick has just flown in from Hollywood. Not only will this be his first show with the band, but it will pretty much be their rehearsal too!

Starting the evening off, a trio of male teens aptly named ?Stick My Army? provided a chaotic blend of Ska/Punk that sounded somewhat messy and unrehearsed at best. They have moments where you think that it could get better, but doesn?t quite. Curiously enough the drummer is the lead vocalist as well. As vaguely impressive as this is, the band still desperately need an alternative frontman for vocals with a greater range that can cope better with the songs. Maybe then the guitarist and bassist would stop huddling around the drummer with their backs to the audience. (3)

Peterborough?s ?Mesh 29? were pleasantly surprising. The vocals were beautifully melodic and the keyboard and acoustic guitar worked perfectly. Their acoustic Pop/Rock ballads, such as ?5am?, are worthy of the O.C and definitely bigger venues/crowds than tonights. At times their sound is similar to that of The Goo Goo Dolls. Debut single ?Over the Barricades? is beautiful, polished and well rehearsed. Considering the turn out it receives a genuine and impressive round of applause. Final surprise for the audience was a solo from the keyboardist. Despite him apparently not knowing he was going to be asked to perform it, combined with him not being the lead vocalist, he does fantastically. On announcement of last song ?Cigarette?, their vocalist takes his chance to plug their friends, ?Enjoy Caffeine. They?re an awesome band?. The song successfully gets a handful of people dancing along, which is an impressive result tonight. (7)

Caffeine break into catchy favourite ?She?s a Knockout?, drawing everyone back into the hall for some quality fun. This is Pop/Punk at its best and minus the cheesy vocals. Instead, these are replaced with Scott McEwan?s London accent, which gives them a more original sound and exciting edge. Song ?Dancefloor? goes down fantastically and has a Ska-type intro that gets people skanking before the disco beats kick in. Quality guitaring, and drumming so ferocious new drummer Nick manages to break through the skin on the snare (which had to be swiftly replaced). At announcement of ?This is a dance song!? from vocalist/bassist Scott they perform a seriously cool rendition of ?You Spin Me Round?? which turns out to be the greatest highlight of the evening, complete with backing vocals from guitarist J, which complement Scott?s perfectly. ?Hotel Room? was the only anti-climax as? well, like a friend of Scott?s once joked ?Great song, but kinda makes you wanna die!?. It?s a great song, but when all of the other songs have been so upbeat, it isn?t received as well as it deserves to be. Caffeine end on ?The Lights go Down? and exit the stage one by one in style. A fantastic finish to an uncertain evening. Catch them while you can. (8)

Carolyn

PAUL: “Whilst we are on the subject of bands that you have toured with, which have been the worst band to tour with and why?”
J: “We’ve been lucky, all the bands have been so cool. Some more friendly than others but no great fall outs!”

PAUL: “You seem to always be on the road, is this something that Caffeine decided on from the beginning?”
J: “Well when the first album was out we just played everywhere… again and again. Touring is something we love doing, you can’t beat playing live.”

PAUL: “The last question about touring I promise…is it something that you enjoy more than the recording process, and what do you do to wile away the hours in between shows?”
J: “Recording is cool but really you just wanna get out and play the songs to a load of kids..so far more fun.”

PAUL: “You’ve just signed to a Canadian label. How did all of that come about?”
J: “The label is Straight Ahead Records, they got in touch through MP3.com, there’s a load of our songs you can download and they liked em. Straight Ahead have a compiliation out in May called ‘Planet of Punks Vol 2’ including tracks from Mad Caddies, Good Ridence and Consumed…and one of ours, then they release our EP. We’re buzzed up about it all, they are cool guy’s and our pushing us in
Canada and the U.S.”

PAUL: “Over the last few months you’ve been recording a new record which I’m guessing will see the light of day later this year. Is there a name for it yet, who produced it, and what can Caffeine fans expect from it compared to your previous releases?”
J: “The EP is called ‘Arouse Me’, it’s a more full on punk record…it’s gonna be out in May over here. Plus we’ve got a track on a PlayStation2 game coming out in the Summer.”

PAUL: “You’ve got a pretty damn big UK tour coming up later in the year. Are any surprises lined up for the live shows? Any new cover songs thrown into the set?”
J: “We ‘re going out with our mates 4ft Fingers.. so it should be pretty good fun, no covers…yet.”

PAUL: “After the UK tour what do you have planned? Are any of the European punk/alternative festivals on the agenda?”
J: “We’ve got some shows in Belgium and Switzerland lined up for August/October and more shows in the UK afterwards.”

PAUL: “What one Caffeine lyric do you think sums up the band best?”
J: “For the Kids.”

PAUL: “Finally, just a few stupid quickfire questions: What is your favourite flavoured crisps?”
J: “Black ones.”

PAUL: “What songs would you like to be played at your funeral?”
J: “Anything by Kiss.”

PAUL: “If you could be any other member of the band for the day, who would you be and why?”
J: “Alain, our singer, cos he’s always going back home to Italy for the sun and beach…lucky guy. Andy’s from Worstershire..no thanks!”

PAUL: “If you had three wishes what would they be?”
J: “Endless wishes.”

PAUL: “Finally, who is better, Blink 182 or Sum 41?”
J: “Blink by far.”

PAUL: “Thanks a lot dude, appreciate it.”
J: “See ya in the pit on the next tour! Cheers.”