The igniting Warrington indie music scene pulled a metaphorical moonie at its rival Manchester and Liverpool scenes. Unbuckling the belt in the aforementioned process was done by the vibrant Z-list Tears who are akin to the Red Hot Chili Peppers moonlighting with Led Zeppelin. The rattling ‘Inside’ reached out to the sparsely gathered crowd and drew them close with its intimate lyrics. These youngsters showed and appreciation of and reverence to; the past, which would have former History teachers jumping somersaults with delight. The inhibition releasing ‘Let Go’ and the feisty ‘Set Me On Fire’, added a pleasing doze of Thin Lizzy to proceedings and helped to put the lid on a brief, raw and powerful set from a friendly and enthusiastic trio.

The six marauding home based bruisers who make up The Bridge were in a bold and daring mood, electing to open with the funky rock disco new number ‘The Cat Song’. There was a personal moment during this song, as the aspiring Hendrix-esque guitarist the Mercurial Mike Bee was verbally castigated by his girlfriend for not having his guitar turned up loud enough. Who says uncompromising rockers can’t be tamed? The trusty, reliable and rousing anthem ‘PYT’ was kicked on aggressively by the keyboard of Monkey that induced the first rhythmic shimming from the crowd. Front man Robert Gough’s vocals were raw and powerful, reminiscent of Dave Evans and Jimmy Page, being most prevalent in ‘Killer’. A slow building and frenzied finale was ensured by way of the passionate ‘Ramblin’, ensuring that The Bridge left with an ever growing fan base.

The Ian Brown emulating front man; Lomax of Bangkok possessed the strut, self confidence and moves of his undoubted hero, but will not get near to emulating him unless he grows a tail. The grammatically rebellious ‘You and Me’ towards the end added a flash of Primal Scream to proceedings that saw the swelling crowd bounce into action. The ska propelled Drop Science produced a set to rival contemporaries The Dead 60s and sprinkled their The Specials doused music upon the gathered with belief. Unfortunately, sound difficulties polluted a promising set, but when this trifling problem is mended they have the capacity to blow crowds away. All in all, it was a proud night for local music that showed determination and promise

Words: David Adair