John Peel day gig – 13th OCTOBER - BCSU

Rocketchild were on first. After surrendering their later slot to The Wutars (they had another gig in St. Albans – rock 'n' roll!!) they exploded onto the stage shouting and bawling as ever. The placid crowd certainly got a kick up the backside by this high-octane wake-up call. When Rocketchild are performing it is impossible to take your eyes off them. Whether it's Richie doing his own unique brand of aerobics, or…..Richie jumping off the stage, then it's…….just Richie! These guys are still as tight as ever in songs 'Black Pill' and 'M.A.N.'. My favourite is still 'Last Night In Brixton' – it's so memorable I'm still humming it! The final song of the set was the classic 'Going Underground' by The Jam (every band has an obligatory cover version for the evening). This was amazingly good and full of punk spirit. Please record an album boys….I need it!!!!

Next up our wordmaster Dariush Rashidi – the only act of the evening that I knew absolutely nothing about. Here's a quick lowdown – Dariush is a singer/songwriter, influenced by US bands, listens to all kinds of music, and likes to emphasise the British-ness of his voice. His goal: "To move people spiritually with my music – anything else is a bonus" – Hmm…that's pretty deep, I'm intrigued. I like Dariush's voice and he's a great writer. 'Watching the Grass Grow' is very melodic and commercial sounding. It flows really easily. And, I don't know what the last song was called but it was great. Dariush normally performs solo but recently he's had a band with him. The band members are good musicians in their own right but I don't think enough rehearsal time was put in which resulted in some bad timing and a few hitches. Other than that it was not a bad effort at all. Covers 'Molly's Lips' by The Vaselines and 'Beetlebum' by Blur added some familiarity to the set and went down well.

Then we had My Luminaries. If any of you have read my previous reviews you'll know I think they're fab. Since the last time they visited BCSU they've come up with some new material and have obviously been doing A LOT of rehearsal. Everything from their look, their 'choreography' and their sound is just so professional and sharp. The third song they played (I'm not sure of the name – it had lots of aah aah aaaaahs) reminded me of The Arcade Fire which can, quite frankly, only be a good thing. They called it the "wanky track" but I thought it was great. After that we were treated to the "3 minute pop songs" – woohoo, 'Transmitter' and 'The Man Without His Phone' – definite crowd pleasers. After a last burst of pure energy and great tunes the band left the stage leaving us wanting much more, boo hoo………… However not gone for long (hopefully) as a head of a major label was there on the night and it looks like only a matter of days before the band sign a deal and will be playing bigger shows near you soon!!!. What a nice thought...John Peel still exposing bands and opening doors for talent such as My Luminaries even after he has left us. There's something poetic there!!

The Wutars soon came along and brightened things up again. I have seen The Wutars about (no joke) six hundred times (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration but it's a lot). These boys have a huge following from their fellow students and quite rightly so. I even found myself singing along – 'Extensive Research' is my favourite! Some new songs brought a very welcome bit of change to the set and their version of 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' by The Smiths sounded better than ever (well….apart from the original of course). Don't think there's anything else to say….oh yeah – your promotions girls are EXTREMELY pushy – get that sorted!!!!

Our final act of the night was the unforgettable Mr Derry, winner of last term's Unsigned Band Showcase. Yet again, new material which is really really good. They've also been spending time gigging around Manchester and London and creating a new line of merchandise - loving the coasters! Stand out songs were the highly energetic 'The Danceman', the country – yee ha – 'Mama and Papa' and 'The Nice One' and a new one which is either called 'Mini Bar' or 'Millie Dog'(?) or something like that – it was good anyway. They ended with another new song after a great version of The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' (Someone had to do it!) Thank you Mr Derry – please come again!