(Due to some gentle prodding I’ll post the words now and update with pictures later.)
Prog rock — you either love it or hate it (me, I can’t get enough!), but whichever side of the fence you’re on you should give Motion Theory a whirl; sounding a little like 100 Reasons might have done had they listened to more King Crimson in their formative years they may be the saviour of a dying art. Unlike some of the more "difficult" prog their catchy and accessible melodic rock wasn’t overwhelmed by gratuitously bizarre time signatures or weird chord progressions — it had just enough surprises to keep it interesting, but stayed sane enough that you can dance to it. Sadly most people will dismiss them purely on the basis of their chosen genre, but I give them a big thumbs up. (I’ve got a signed CD to give away, details to follow.)
The Sumo Kings have been covered at great length here before, and were the same as ever so I won’t go in to details again; they’re a bit too close to a prototypical indie band for my taste, but they’re good at what they do and have acquired a well-deserved dedicated local following.
Third off the blocks were Troops of Mafeking, another band who are no strangers to the Crewe scene; a more rock-driven sound than I recall from the last time I saw them, and with some well-written songs and a stalwart performance they were a pleasant surprise.
Finally headliners The Telegraphs hit the stage, but failed to live up to expectations — generic indie/rock stylings, and nothing that caught my ear particularly. Admittedly there had been a few delays in the show and they were on later than scheduled so they may just have had an off night, but they left me unimpressed.
