In the reviewing game, sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad days. The kind of days that pretty much sap your will to live. Today was such a day. Well, actually the day was fine but the night was quite another matter.
First on were Hosemox. A three piece band from Edinburgh, they steered a musical course through punk and prog. The problem was that every song was the same journey. Hit the drums really hard and crank everything else to the max. That was it. Not exactly inspiring.
Next on were Frontline Playground. They had youth on their side and there were occasions when they appeared almost enthusiastic or at least as enthusiastic as you might get if you had got The Cure's Greatest Hits for Christmas and had been inspired by it. Inspired isn't really the right word when I think of it. Mind you, no one could reasonably have expected the surreal bout of inept MCing when the guitarist abandoned his instrument for the last song.
Last on were Kontroband. They appeared to be a solid rock band - the "salt of the earth" as they might say in working men's clubs in Lanarkshire or even in low rent "pay to play" venues in dear old Glasgow. Once again though, imagination was abandoned in favour of someone else's clichés and a guitar solo that reoccurred in several of their songs. I can't remember the last time I walked out of a gig but I did tonight. All it took was a self congratulatory stumble through a Black Sabbath cover to do it.
I'm hoping - really, I am - that all three bands were suffering from the flu and that was the explanation for the dull performances. Always look on the bright side. That's the important thing.