Den Enghel, Gent
2011-03-03

Mid-week rock n' roll action, it's not the best guarantee for a party, but the place was packed anyway.

CIA Bartender was playing right at home in Ghent, and brought Antwerp's Roxx Action in as well.

Compared to last time I saw them, Roxx Action started their set off a whole lot better. They've been working, and it shows! The old songs are brought with more confidence, the new songs show great progress in songwriting as well as playing, and everyone seems to be feeling more and more in the right place, on a stage...

The place had great acoustics, Roxx Action finished their set in the right time (not too long, not too short) and the tune was set for a good night.

Sounding as sleazy as they ever did before, it's a matter of seeing them once or twice on a good night like this, and you'll learn to appreciate these glamsters.

After their show, the place got a little more crowded, and shortly after, CIA Bartender took the stage.

From the first notes on, it was clear that they traded Roxx Action's sleazy rawness for technical perfection. I mean, for a local band, they've got excellent instrumental and vocal control.

Charismatic is what this band is, especially fronted by a singer with the moves and voice, and a lead guitarist who's not afraid to chat up the barmaid or get on top of the bar for a solo... Cheesy, but it gets the job done.

I did say that CIA Bartender is not sleaze rock in the purest sense (see their demo review), and I stand by that statement, but the contradiction between Roxx Action's rawness and CIA Bartender's bluesy lo-tempo rock worked like crazy.

Get some beers in, get in the right mood and sing along to what's quickly becoming the Bartenders' greatest hits, that's all you need for a good night on the town.

Oh yeah, and they did bring a splendid cover version of "She Works Hard For The Money".