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Anyway, first on were Turn. Good punchy tunes and a very charismatic front man, made this a pleasant experience. The lead guitar and bass batted off each other to good effect, whilst the drums and keyboard laid down the foundations of the tunes. This is definitely one band to look out for in the future. Next were Wilt, and they had bought their own fan club. This was a taster for things to come as the audience bounded about in appreciation. Another charismatic front man, not afraid to talk to the crowd and a very effective three piece they turned out to be. But this was all just a taster. Lights down, smoke machine on, coloured lights around the drums and mic stands and on come Seafood to an expectant crowd. They don't disappoint us. Almost as soon as the first note is played the audience are bouncing off the ceiling. Made up mostly of tracks from the new album, they sounded fresher than ever before. Old favourites like 'Porchlight' and 'Dig' were welcomed with all gusto the crowd could muster, but new favourites are beginning to emerge. 'Gun Trip', 'Easy Path', 'This Is Not An Exit' and 'Belt' the most obvious, but they have some massive slower songs in their arsenal. 'Toggle' and 'Led By Bison' giving the bouncers some rest bite. By now of course the venue is in a mess - mic stands falling over, lights being moved and monitors seemingly having a life of their own, as the chaos commences. David seemed totally overwhelmed by the reaction of the crowd and the fact that the gig was a sell out. I can safely say this is the best I have ever seem them perform, and I've seen an awful lot of their gigs!! The set ends with a fantastic version of 'Folk Song Crisis' as the equipment is taken apart by the band. Kevin tries to thank the punters at the end, but it's too late - the mic became unplugged long before the end of the song. No need to say anything Kevin... we are all happy that you played for us. Fierce Panda certainly know a good thing when they see it! skippy Tonight was simply wonderful. Seafood were great (more of that later) and the support bands played their part in making it such a good evening. I knew it was going to be when Turn took the stage, and beckoned everyone to come down to the front - and lots complied! The nice touch was that the band were saying hello by name as their friends/fans arrived there. Cool! When they started playing, I was most impressed. The first 3 numbers rocked like a sackfull of stones in a quarry. The quieter ones were thoughtful and well, good. They had a nice rapport with the audience, asking us to cheer when the drummer sang his solo bit for example, and all in all, I can recommend you try to catch them. One of their top songs was 'Too Much Make Up', which incidentally featured on the free CD if you were lucky enough to be one of the first 100 in. I was! Wilt also started their set, rocking like good 'uns! Unfortunately the middle of their set was a bit samey, but the crowd loved it! There were obviously a lot of Wilt fans in the audience, and the band really went for it with an energetic and bouncy performance that really got the teenagers at the front moshing all and sundry who were foolish enough to get in the way. Well, they enjoyed it. The set was then saved for me, by the last 2 songs - the current single 'Radio Disco' (? - I think) and particularly the last track (don't know the title), which was really good. They set the mood up for Seafood; everyone was now in a good humour (including Som from My Vitriol watching in the wings with that delightful babe journalist from the MM, Emma Johnston). So, here came the part of the evening virtually everyone was waiting for. Yes, Seafood. To the rumble of a backing track, young Caroline mounted her drum kit, now set imperiously high on its own riser (though the little pixie-like face still peers from behind the blonde fringe as ever), and started gently tapping out a rhythm, before the lads snuck on stage - I say snuck 'cos the smoke machine was in overdrive and I could hardly see the person standing next to me, let alone the stage! We had a really good spot, stage left, right at the front, leaning on the wedgie that we thought would be Charles' - but no! He and Kevin had swapped sides since last I saw them. They gently built up into the first track - a 'b' side whose name escapes me, before dropping us into the rest of the set, which ROCKED!!!! The kids at the front (hmmm - over 18's only - I don't think so somehow!!!) went ballistic, falling over themselves and the front of the stage and Dave's mike stand! Having already put the crowd in near frenzy mode with tracks like 'Easy Path', 'This Is Not an Exit' and the immaculate 'Porchlight', Dave announced that "they probably weren't doing themselves any favours with this one" before launching into 'Guntrip'. No they weren't! Good job those mike stands are robust! As we neared the end of the set, we had the obligatory Seafood moment when Kevin completely missed the intro, as he was too busy talking to someone about the web site. As he said, it wouldn't be a Seafood gig without it! In a quieter moment, we had the sublime 'Led by Bison' which rightly drew a rapturous response, and the awe inspiring 'Toggle' (including the pedal steel guitar from Melvin), 2 songs that just have to be played back to back. I can't split them in my favouritism. For the encore, they did a quiet one ('Dear Leap the Ride' if memory serves) before launching into a manic 'Folksong Crisis - FSC II/The Quiet' (quiet?), and the almost compulsory set destruction (which Dave seems to take to enthusiastically - hence having to borrow the Gibson from the Turn guitarist after breaking his the night before - whilst Kevin seems a tad more reluctant to smash up he beloved bass!). So, in short, a fabulous night; Seafood were awesome and the support bands fitted in really well. A really enjoyable night. Oh! And, nice lights guys! DaveM |