On the thirty-first floor a gold-plated door / Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

Friday 25 September - kicked off a weekend with potentially fatal consequences for my liver; two nights of beer and music, and a stag 'do'. We started at The Roman Bath where I met up with A and two of our American cousins. We were there to watch Full Tilt, a heavier-than-yer-average-covers-band, a four-piece from Bradford comprising: Derek Moulson (Lead vocals & guitar), Jim Croisdale (Lead guitar), Andy Bucaltizn (Bass guitar), and Darren O'Grady (Drums). Relying on my dodgy memory I can recall; AC/DC (Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway To Hell), Deep Purple (Black Night), Puddle of Mudd (She Hates Me), Kinks (Really Got Me Going), Guns 'n' Roses (Knocking' on Heaven's Door), Whitesnake (Fool For Your Loving), Cameo (Word Up), Lenny Kravitz (Are You Gonna Go My Way), Ozzy Osbourne (Crazy Train), Metallica (Enter The Sandman ), Blur (Song 2), and Judas Priest (Breaking The Law). There were more, but after three pints of John Smith's the memories slip away like cobwebs in a breeze. For an encore they did Rage Against The Machine's Killing in the Name, not for the faint-hearted but certainly a crowd-pleaser. Highly recommended.

Sunday 27 September - Saturday slipped by in an alcoholic fug of fine ales, fish and chips, and crowded bars full of posers (that'll be Kennedy's and the Slag and Luggage then.) And, so to Sunday where I rehabilitated my body by gently soaking it in Theakston's XB and listening to more music at The Duchess. The first band were already playing as we entered. The Troubadors (On SpaceBook) are an electro-acoustic due from West Yorkshire, comprising "Big" Steve Chapman Smith and "Lil'" Andy Healey. The sound was mixed superbly, and we were treated to a set of folky sort of protest songs, in a style reminiscent of Lindisfarne or The Strawbs. I remember one song called Lost Faith, about the loss of faith in our politicians, another, Broken Bridge about mine workers in Pontefract (Ponte Fractus means broken bridge in Latin and Old French, but Smart Alecs might want to read this article as well.) Anyway, they finished with a cover of The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want, with Steve on an electric mandolin. Top stuff.

For round two, we had a completely different outfit, The Dark Roads. They sounded like Johnny Cash sung by an Indie band. Fantastic songs; Let Go Love, Redwood Hill, Lazy Eye, Santa Fe, and something possibly called Speedball Blues. Highly recommended.

Finally, the headline act, Band Of Heathens. Now it was a bit of a shame really, because these five guys had travelled all the way from Austin, Texas, to play for about fifty of us. In the words of the band, "it would really suck if there were, like, twenty less of you." However, the small crowd made up for numbers by being particularly vocal. BOH consist of: Ed Jurdi (Guitar, Keys, Harmonica, Vocals), Gordy Quist (Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Colin Brooks (Guitar, Dobro, Lapsteel, Vocals), Seth Whitney (Bass, Vocals), and John Chapman (Drums, Percussion). They started the set with a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers' Sin City. After that I started getting a bit paranoid, I was seeing signs of Christian Fundamentalism everywhere. The band's monitors covered a sign "the duchess" so it read "he de..uss" (He is God?) and there was a song with Hallelujah in the chorus, and another about letting the light shine it. There was a bloke in front of us who writhed about as though possessed. It was OK for A, with his mop of white hair he looked like an angel; me, I was wearing a t-shirt adorned with a glow-in-the-dark grim reaper. I could have been swinging from a gibbet by the end of the evening, especially when they sang Hangin' Tree and lead vocalist Gordy fixed me with a steely glare! Things settled down about half-way through the set and I relaxed into the music; Cornbread, Jackson Station, and more. Again, a thoroughly brilliant band and one I would heartily recommend. In fact I would have been quite happy to part with a tenner to watch any one of the three bands that played. What an excellent night.

Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses.

Saturday 21 March- The RBS Six Nations finished on a high with wins from England and a cracking, albeit sometimes brutal, game between Ireland and Wales. Top stuff. In the evening it was off to The Duchess for the second album launch from The Yards and an acoustic set from Hope&Social.

Things started quite slowly which provided an opportunity to enjoy a foaming pint of Theakston's XB before four hombres from Hope&Social took to the stage resplendent in their 'blue coats'. This wasn't exactly acoustic because they were all wired up, but certainly Simon Wainwright and Rich Huxley were playing battered acoustic guitars, whilst Jason Miller and Ed Waring sat further back, Jason with his bass guitar and Ed with keyboards balanced on his lap. Percussion was provided by vigorous foot-stamping. With the set weighing in at just five tunes, I felt a little short-changed, but they did explain that they had just travelled 100 miles up the M1, lost Rich's luggage out the back door of the truck, had a blow-out on the motorway (2 recovery vehicles required!), and Simon was losing his voice, so they weren't having their best day. As is usual at an H&S gig they were dogged by undercurrent of persistent talking from the audience. For god's sake, if you've paid money to listen to a band, just have the common courtesy to shut up while they're playing!

We retired to that bar to re-charge our glasses (well plastic cups) and were deep in conversation when we noticed that the crowd had started to swell at an alarming rate. The Yards were about to take to the stage. We managed to feed in from the side of the ruck (just as well the ref was unsighted) and although the three of us got split up, we were no more than three for four people from the front, so that wasn't too bad.

For those who aren't aware, and shame on you, The Yards are a five-piece from York comprising: Chris Helme (Vocals and guitars) ex-Seahorses, Stuart 'Stu' Fletcher (Bass guitar) ex-Seahorses and currently also Rick Witter & The Dukes John Miller (Drums), Jon Hargreaves (Keyboards) and Chris Farrell (Guitar).

The band were joined on stage by two vocalists (one was Hayley Hutchinson I think) and a string section at the back. I thought it was three violins and a cello, but one of the violins might have been a viola which is similar in size, though pitched a perfect fifth below the violin and gives a rich, dark-toned sonority that is more full-bodied than the violin's. Chris did introduce the string section, all girls, but I missed their names. About half way through the set he decided that they should be called The Yardbirds, which caused amusement among the younger listeners and good-natured groans from us older ones.

The reason for the extra bodies on stage was presumable in order to more closely reflect the production sound of the material from their new album Imperial Measure, for which this was the launch night. I'm very pleased to be able to report that this was certainly a full-bodied and really tight performance, something that Chris has failed to achieve in the past. They played most of the tracks from the new album with a sprinkling of stuff from their old one. The set consisted of: Cars, Last High, Turn & Run, Centre Of Gravity, California, Pure, Minus A Million, Small Fires, Broken, Let It Go, Cold Shoulder, The Devil Is Alive And Well in DC, and See The Lights.

I bought an album during the evening, and I'm really looking forward to listening to. On the strength of tonight's performance The Yards Are Alive And Well In York. The songs on this album are an order of magnitude better than their first efforts, so hats off to The Yards.

Friday 20 March- the weekend started with a trip out to our favourite watering hole, The Roman Bath, where covers band Full Tilt were blasting punters ears off. Full Tilt are a four-piece from Bradford comprising: Derek Moulson (Lead vocals & guitar), Jim Croisdale (Lead guitar), Andy Bucaltizn (Bass guitar), and Darren O'Grady (Drums).

Compared to a lot of covers bands we've seen recently, these are much heavier than then normal and, for me, that's a good thing. I tried to blag a set-list but Derek assured me that they didn't have one so I've had to rely on my dodgy memory to supply you with a list of some of the songs they played: Thin Lizzy (Rosalie), AC/DC (Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway To Hell), Bad Co. (Can't get Enough of Your Love), Deep Purple (Black Night), Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit), Puddle of Mudd (She Hates Me), Kinks (Really Got Me Going), Guns ‘n' Roses (Knocking' on Heavens Door), Whitesnake (Fool For Your Loving), Cameo (Word Up), Lenny Kravitz (Are You Gonna Go My Way), The Police (Message In A Bottle), Ozzy Osbourne (Crazy Train), Metallica (Enter The Sandman), Blur (Song 2), Judas Priest (Breaking The Law). For an encore they did Rage Against The Machine's Killing in the Name, which resulted in a lot of headbanging and audience sing-along. Not for the easily offended!

We've seen Full Tilt twice before this and on each occasion been very impressed both with their technical playing and choice of material. They didn't disappoint tonight and I heartily recommend them.

Soldier is turning/See him through white light

Friday 15 February – and down at the Roman Tin Tub are Megawatt Winged Avenger, a heavy rock/metal band previously seen at Fibbers where we thoroughly enjoyed their set. Tonight they were playing their own stuff alongside heavy rock covers such as; Judas Priest (Breaking the Law), Guns ‘n’ Roses (Sweet Child of Mine), Metallica (Enter Sandman), Bon Jovi (Bad Medicine), Stereophonics (Just Looking). Yes, I know, it’s that last one that encapsulates the problem. They play their own stuff with grit and honesty, and they are good. But, the covers are played a bit tongue in cheek and they just didn’t work. The ambience wasn’t right either. The stage area was so dark that we could hardly see the band (no problem in hearing them of course!) and for some bizarre reason they seemed to attract “the pink and the p*ssed”. I’ve no problems with people who butter their bread on the other side (anything that tips the balance of male/female in my favour generally gets my blessing) but I feel uncomfortable when they’re touching each other up and engaging in the fairy-wrestling that they seem to think passes for dancing. Bit of a naff night then. Still, there’s always tomorrow...

Saturday 16 February – “man doth not live by rock covers only” (Deuteronomy 8: 3 but bent to the author’s will, ha, ha) and so we find ourselves at Fibbers for the Levi’s One To Watch showcase, three bands that we hadn’t heard of before. Our expectations were as high as the entrance price, £8. A tad on the steep side we thought. First up, and we caught them about half-way through their set, were Ox. Eagle. Lion. Man. (Revelations 4:6-7 “6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” It’s not a blog it’s an education!), risen, I’m informed, Lazarus-like from the ashes of Les Incompetents. Hailing from London, OELM consists of: Frederick Blood-Royale (Vocals/samples/fake surnames), Jareth (Guitar/Effects/lost surnames), Thomas Günnzs (Bass/Keys/umlauted surnames), and Eduard Quarmby (Drums/just daft names generally). Three songs is not really enough to judge a band on but just to give you a flavour of their act... Jareth had a skein of hair that he must have stolen from Rapunzel and hung it over his guitar at every opportunity. Frederick sort of semi-spoke the words, which I have to say were very clear and showed that mumbled vocals are a performer’s choice at Fibbers, not an aberration of the acoustics. Each song was like a mini-play or rather musical. Very theatrical, not my cup of tea, but there you go. It was an interesting start.

Oh dear. Second band were the Cazals, billed as a London/Milan band. A bit ’80 synth, only heavier. A bit Sham 69, without the tunes. It all started to go downhill after the second song, a cover of Spandau Ballet’s To Cut A Long Story Short. The final track was Life is Boring and contained the lyric “What’s the point?” What indeed!

At this point we were approached by a member of the bar staff and asked if we would provide feedback on the bands at the end of the gig, to which we agreed. Apparently Levis like to get real audience reactions to the bands they showcase.

And so to our final contenders, Cut Off Your Hands, a flock of Kiwis selling their own brand of dance-pop-punk, bit like The Klaxons and The Pigeon Detectives, allegedly. Allegedly was in fact the operative word. Expectations was almost OK, but generally their front man sound like Robert Smith and their whole sound was a bit like The Cure. There was also a hint of New Order in there somewhere, but far too many oh-oh-ohs. To add insult to injury, they played a short set ending at 22:15 instead of 22:30 and there was no encore.

So, feedback on the Levi’s Ones to Watch? Well, Three To Avoid actually. I bought my ticket for the Mexicolas whilst we were there, it cost me £5 and I know that I’m going to enjoy them. £8 for three unknown bands that are rubbish and finish too early? We was robbed!

It was time to drown our sorrows so we beat a retreat across York to The Roman Bath in search of salvation. At least it would be free! Playing tonight were Full Tilt a rock covers band from Sheffield. We arrived just before they started the second half of their set, which went on for one and a quarter hours! They performed a vast range of material: Thin Lizzy (Rosalie), AC/DC (Whole Lotta Rosie), Bad Co. (Can’t get Enough of Your Love), Deep Purple (Smoke on the Water, Black Night), Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit), Puddle of Mudd (She Hates Me), RaTM (Killing in the Name), Kinks (Really got me going), Guns ‘n’ Rose (Knocking’ on Heavens Door). Seven encores. Now that’s what I call music. Even the presence of the crazy dancing bloke with a miner’s lamp around his neck couldn’t ruin that kind of gig.

I’m waiting for an angel now/to lift me up above the clouds

Friday sees a return to Fibbers to watch the much lauded indie band, Jyrojets. First on the bill is local band Lips Akimbo (that’s a local band, for local people). A bit strange in the way the band members don’t like to start playing all at the same time, or even to all finish at the same time, but the middle bits are OK in a toe-tapping sorta way. The second band on are The Federals, another York band and one that I think I’ve seen before. The bass player is very energetic and the sound is a bit like the love child of The Velvet Underground and The White Stripes.

Finally, on come the Jyrojets. You can tell that they are a proper band; they have a proper website, not just an entry on MyFace. Hailing from Scotland, The Jyrojets are: Colin Fraser (Lead Vox, Guitar), Chris Bain (Guitar, Vox), Martin Stewart (Keys, Vox), Veeb (Drums), Dougie Edwards (Bass). Their debut album is set for release late summer, and they released a single, ‘Favourite Thing About Jane’, on 14 May. They have supported some big names; Richard Ashcroft, Dirty Pretty Things, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Ordinary Boys, and played festivals in Spain and Moscow. Overall they sounded a bit like The Supernaturals, a late 1990’s indie-pop band, also from Scotland, who enjoyed minor chart success with hits such as Smile, I Wasn't Built to Get Up, Love Has Passed Away and The Day Before Yesterday's Man. Strangely enough, I saw The Supernaturals at Fibbers as well, and frankly, I thought that they were a lot better than the Jyrojets. So a bit of a disappointment, but at least it was smoke-free.

After the gig we literally ran through York, in and out of doorways, trying to avoid the torrential rain, to get to The Old White Swan where Hazzard County were just finishing off their first set. I was drenched but the thing that made the barmaid laugh was a red badge on my jacket lapel which read ASBO, in fact a promotional badge for a single by Limousine. Sitting at a table right in front of the stage area was Chris Helme (ex-Seahorses, now The Yards). Later in the evening I had a chat with Chris who was pretty shattered after an exhausting week. He left some flyers with me for The Yards next gig at The Post Office Club on Marygate, Thursday 26th July.

Saturday evening was a trip to the Roman Bath where Bradfordband Full Tilt treated us to a cacophony of rock classics, covers from the likes of; Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Bad Co., Free, Lenny Kravitz, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica, G’n’R (well strictly speaking Bob Dylan’s Knocking’ on Heavens Door), and Nirvana.