Tag: no alarms and no devizes

If I’ve been galavanting recently, gorging on other local town’s live music scenes, what better way to return to Devizes than a visit to the liveliest watering hole, The Three Crowns, to see a band with our town’s name all over it, No Alarms And No Devizes? How apt!

I’ll confess, while I know most of the members of this five-piece as individual musicians in their own rights or as members of various other groups, I was yet to see them in this setup, despite them forming the best part of a year ago. Naughty of me, I accept, but I’m overly glad to finally tick them off my must-see list, and on the strength of last night’s performance, it won’t be the last.

Aware of their talents as individuals my only pre-gig apprehension being it can sometimes be a case whereby groups formed of members who’ve met at open mics sadly don’t equate to the sum of their counterparts. This minor angst I quashed before arriving; I could hear them from the carpark as they rang out Steve Harley & the Cockney Rebel’s Make Me Smile with gusto. “Come up and see me,” the song suggests, yeah, I’m nearly there, and already glad I did. Again, how apt!

But it’s not just in the word-playing a Radiohead song’s band name to give it a local spin, nor the coincidental meaning of the song they were covering when I arrived which makes me happy to report that they know exactly what buttons to press, rather on the tightness of the band and their comradeship too. Frontman Tom Harris, known for also fronting extreme-metal band Kinasis and a stalwart locally as a blues solo artist, is a force to be reckoned with. His lively vocal range knows no bounds, and there’s joyful connotations within his energy and often amusing facial expressions which rub off on the audience.     

If, as it suggests, ‘extreme-metal’ is too extreme for me, it’s in his lighter fashions which makes me smile, and during lockdown the few funky tunes he created really brought Tom’s natural talent to entertain to my attention. With No Alarms No Devizes’ varied range of cover choices in their arsenal, Tom is free to explore his funky side or whatever fancies his tickle, and I loved this about the No Alarms And No Devizes show the most.

Tom is backed by proficient guitarist Pat Ward, once modest about his abilities, today moving through the audience whilst strumming, like a pro! Bassist Jonny Jam, who’ll you see blessing his skills in many local bands. A new drummer, Nick Wood, who sure found his feet and sticks last night. And with the additional Matt Pryor on keys, the lineup gives them the scope to nail a vast range of pop songs into their repertoire, and they do them all with impressive confidence and showmanship.

Keyed in to precisely what the varied crowd at the Three Crowns want, they ventured through anything and everything from Nina Simone and the Beatles to the obligatory Radiohead, the Proclaimers’ crowd-pleaser, and eighties pop such as my personally most welcomed Men at Work’s Down Under, with a gradual fade from melodic to a frenzy. They slipped in a few great originals too, but whatever direction they took themselves into they did so with flow, precision and enthusiasm, making for a universally highly entertaining night I cannot fault. Even their break was no longer than a wee-stop!

I do ponder if the band’s name implies it’s just a bunch of guys from Devizes when they arrive at other town’s venues. They played Swindon’s Rolleston recently, they played HoneyFest at the Barge and Salisbury’s Coach & Horses, among others, but Matt assured me they’re welcomed wherever they play, leaving me only to assure venues outside Devizes, they may be announcing they’re guys from Devizes within their very name, and banter between towns might be a thing, but once No Alarms And No Devizes are in full swing, you’d be glad you booked them!

Another wonderful night at the Three Crowns, then. It never fails to please. With the Brewery Shop opening next door, seeing visitors stopping into the pub, the live music and gourmet burgers, The Three Crowns is surely a testament to what a pub can achieve if they put their heads into what punters want, particularly in these uncertain times. It was as busy as ever in there, hospitable and lively, with a varied age demographic out to party and nothing baleful.

We clashed events with the wonderful Facebook page dedicated to promoting local live music, Bird is the Word, which had to happen at some point! Go give them a like if you do Facebook, they’re doing good things over there, with higher quality photos and video streams than my tiddly tries of getting into focus while dancing and balancing a cider!

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