Bentley Rhythm Ace

Bentley Rhythm Ace are often labelled a novelty act... their first album had the cheesiest toons, but despite that people bought it in their thousands - after all, not all cheese is like that processed crap... some cheese has class! The BBC even adopted many songs for background music.

So when 'For Your Ears Only' was released at the beginning of the summer, the first question was "can they do it again?". 'Gutbuster' - the first single - got loads of airplay, and to many's surprise it hit the charts...

I've seen Bentley before - they were great fun, and that held up the music. They remain fun... they still have a wide collection of sounds, and the siren is still centre-stage - but somewhere along the way they've got musically serious. They know they're as good as some and better than the rest, and at V they were up to prove it.

Now with ex-Black Grape rapper Kermit up front, they drive out their songs with Richards pumping bass in prominence, creating a super-tight rhythm section second to none. Those in the JJB Arena - the most up-for-it crowd I've witnessed this summer - got to see a top performance that opened with Gutbuster and just got better and better.

With the multi-coloured light panel behind them there wasn't much to see besides the flashing, but with BRA having first taken over my feet, my legs and body followed, and I submitted to the inevitable...

This wasn't cheese, this was the cream!

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