When's 8.00 o'clock ever been 7.45!?!?!?!?

For me in these troubled times a) getting over 30 punters to a 7.45!!!!! yes 7.45 start to a London gig (hollyoaks is still on then isn’t it?) and b) getting followers of the next band on, to dance at that time, also tells me and should tell you that in a fair world, it won’t be long before The Scratch gravitate in a Phoenixesque flourish, out the door, turn left walk 100 yards and your there namely to the hallowed Astoria. It’s not to say they’re getting too big for their boots, in my opinion they are bigger than the sum total of all the boots, trousers, pants, thongs, g-strings and socks of the entire square mile circumferancing the Borderline. Mighty new material, renewed sparkle and a sprinkling of now classic older tracks makes these guys a must see when they are in town. Pigeon holes are for pigeons or school teachers, but if only to help those of you still not convinced by your converted mates desperate and deserved entreties … here’s a laymans idea of what you’re missing. From one angle you’ve got a Kaisers, Killers, new world indie popishness, from another side you’ve got a Primal Scream, PIL (death disco), dance pumpathon and from all sides you’ve got in your face guitar, bass and drum euphoria , topped off by leaping, swirving and squeeling and that’s just Grim’s pedals… how can you fail to be intrigued? Pick of the night for me were two newies debuted at the Horn last month, AJAX boogie woogie bugle boy from Watford Gap and the less unwieldely entitled Dear Maniac (Punk, Ska, Grunge and Frank Sinatra all in one song), plus the ever merciless X-Ray eyes. Oh and I almost forgot .... c) when the chear at the end of the set at 8.15!!!! (East(dead)enders) hasn’t even finished by then! … is the biggest of all the bands on the night, when everyone (who gallantly arrived slightly late ‘cos of less than clear directives from the venue) is stone cold sober! See you at the Comedy August 23rd, you'd be foolish not to find the time!

Dave T.