Last night I witnessed something totally alien to me. Not only was it alien but also extremely refreshing and a pleasure to experience. What I saw were 3 bands all REALLY ENJOYING THEMSELVES onstage. I don't know about you, but when I see a band in fits of giggles over their own performance I know something good is going down.

The evening was started by Colour Kinesis (Not pictured - sorry!). 30 minutes of above avergage, melodic pop beautifully put together by clearly talented musicians.Next up were Frog Stupid. (http://www.btinternet.com/~frogstupid/frogstupid/index.htm)
A teen-angst-punk-rock-ska 7 piece from Stevenage. Apart from the excellent use of brass I paticulary enjoyed the well written vocals, especially on the brilliant political statement that is 'I don't want to be like America'. Pure genius. When you add the fact that all 7 members of the band appeared to be having a great time it all adds up to a near perfect performance.

Top of the bill were Take56, (rock/ska) allthough as it was a showcase night this was only because they arrived at the venue last!!! Coping well in the face of adversity during the first part of their set was the bass player. A broken strap, a dead mic, a broken string and a sleepy amplifier made life rather more difficult than it could have been. Nevertheless a great thumping set was pumped out, and enjoyed by all.

Check out more pics from the night in our Gallery.
All words and pictures courtesy of Simon Hill. You can contact him here.