Hyde and Beast @ The Social, London

Hyde and Beast played their first gig in London at the Social on a wet Wednesday night. Now if you were into swinging cats you couldn’t do it at the Social – the venue is very narrow, has a low ceiling and makes it practically impossible to swing said cat. It does make for a hot, sweaty venue however which is nice when there’s a nip in the air outside.

Hyde and Beast (Dave Hyde and Neil ‘Beast’ Bassett) were joined by additional band mates for the album launch gig – Dave on guitar and Neil on drums plus another three guitarists. The crowd were mainly male and there was a strong Jordie presence if the accents were anything to go by.

For a singer the Social can be quite intimidating, it doesn’t allow for any wall flowers, the artist is practically a member of the audience and in music breaks whispers can be heard. Dave Hyde didn’t shy away from his front man duties, he was confident and interacted well with the audience.

At times during the set a sense of excitement filled room and a real buzz passed from one person to the other. The accomplished musicians let rip at times and it is during these moments at live gigs that you feel the connection with the band. The harmonies were lovely and reminiscent of The Beach Boys. For me ‘Pictures In The Sky’ was beautiful and the acapella perfect, it sounded even better live.

Dave stood on tip toes whenever he sang, stretching up to the mic - he cut a modern rock star in skinny jeans and a striped shirt. (Neil is more old school in his appearance, he wore a smart white blazer and his beard was neatly trimmed.)

The whole set had a Fleetwood Mac and T Rex sound although Hyde and Beast definitely put their stamp on the night. By the end the smell of men was pretty intoxicating, I didn’t know if this was from the audience or the stage or a bit of both. I left the venue feeling upbeat, Hyde and Beast had provided a quality set and I doubt I was the only one who left with a spring in their step.