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It wasn’t because Dustball played the best I’ve ever seen them - which they constantly seem to do. Every damn time I see them they surpass their last performance! They are also one of the few bands where you get transfixed on the drummer. Nigel is constantly mucking around, but manages to keep perfect time, while beating out the most complicated patterns. (A far cry from his Unbelievable Truth days!) With the combination of Ben throwing himself around the stage while playing the guitar, Jamie trying to beat the living daylights out of his guitar while singing, and Tarrant pounding a hole in the floor in time with his bass, this band should be much more well know than this. This is the sort of thing that’s needed to sort out the sorry state of the charts. And it wasn’t because Jetplane Landing blew me away. The first time I’ve managed to catch them live, they are another band who just seem to really enjoy being on stage and interacting with the audience. Andrew the lead singer and guitarist is an affable chap, always thanking people and getting the crowd involved. The other guitarist Cahir also provides backing vocals, and reminds me of the shorter guitarist from Dillinger Escape Plan, as he seems so into what he’s doing that nothing around him matters. He looks for places to climb while playing and generally killing his instrument while running around the stage. This band are hard, tight and intense. The hard work is paying off. The real reason that the gig was such a success for me was that there were under 14’s in attendance, totally transfixed by what was happening in front of them. The show was one of the first allowed by the local council to allow 14+ punters inside. There were three young lads (not one of them even close to 14) at the front the whole time, intently taking in all that was thrown at them. They jumped up and down excitedly when Nigel from Dustball did his trademark twirling of the drumstick, asked Jamie from JPL ever so politely for the set-list left behind by Tarrant from Dustball, and even bagged a signed drumstick from Nigel later - they were all later seen clutching the new Dustball vinyl single. Ben told me later that they had received a letter from one of them some months earlier to purchase their CD, and the money had been carefully wrapped up in paper – all ten’s and twenty pence’s – he must have been saving all his pocket-money. It’s heartening to see kids so young being involved in good music, and not just being influenced by the charts and crappy radio. This is what makes it all worthwhile. Turn them before ‘the man’ or the NME does. Respect to The Club With No Name to have the balls to go out on a limb. skippy |