What started out as a gig at the Library, due to a power failure become a gig at The Packhorse and was almost an acoustic gig on the streets, but that’s the dedication and canny thinking of Richard the promoter for 360 club we the show went on.  The line up included The Creeks, Rupert Stroud & Chanbara.

First on was Rupert Stroud, a nicely diverse and powerful ranged sound, showing that you don’t always have to use your gain pedal to really umpf up the sound.  Quiet shaker and soft drums, balanced with melodic bass drove the acoustic guitar and powerful vocals through to the crescendos of pounding chorus and climaxes of the songs, put me in mind of maybe a heavier Dave Mathews Band or Snow Patrol with more than 3 chords.  All in all radio ready & friendly music, tow tapping and pleasing to the ear.

Next up were Chanbara, We’ve played with these guys before at a previous gig, they put me in mind of a Leeds based Oasis type band, they seemed to have a good following of fans.

Then it was us, due to the time constraints of moving venue we had to shorten our set down and drop some of songs, there was a great atmosphere, and the sound man did an excellent job of adapting between the various band’s sounds, with little or no time in between for sound check.  The crowd were amazing, really supportive, especially as most were there to see other bands.

The final most definitely the headline act of the night were The Creeks, I’ve not seen them before, but they have something that we lack in droves, stage presence, the lead singer Ste looks like he was born to hold the stage a confident swagger and rapore with the crowd.  Newest to the team Martyn on lead threw in some amazing licks and really forged their sound.  Shaneen on bass and backing vocals, sadly at the gig her mic wasn’t quite loud enough, however I’ve since been able to listen to their album to fully appreciate her singing voice and the critical dimension she brings to their sound.  Finally Jamie on drums, apparently he’s not been playing long, but man can this guy smash out a beat, powerful and pounding just as drums should be.

All in all a great night, met some great people and had a great time, some gigs just stand out as being some a little bit special, maybe not for any quantifiable reason, just because there was something there at the time, for me this was one of those nights, if you’re into the same kind of music as me, then I would recommend The Creeks there’s a damn good chance you’ll enjoy it.