And to follow.....Sonic Boom Six and The King Blues

The next gig was a bit of a punt really. One for Pete for a late birthday present. In keeping with the average Tomkies night out, there was, naturally, a pre-departure drama. I was late getting ready so it started with the "will we, won't we" get the Met or take the car debate. As it was Pete's night out it didn't seem fair to make him drive so we opted for the Met. All well and good. Except I forgot my travel pass. Take two. Half way to tram station. No phone. Too late to go back. Drama three. No cashpoint card. Luckily I'd borrowed some cash to get us there, planning to get the rest from the cashpoint, so we did have some money, but it was like being a student again, coppering up to see if we had enough for a last drink and a bus to the tram! Just to prove our commitment to a good night out, we sacrificed the bus, got another round of drinks and walked to the Met. We know how to rock and roll in our house ; )   (oh, and Student Union bars are not as cheap as they used to be - just in case you needed to know...)

So, the bands....
(please note: there is some "parental advisory" language on their sites)

Local outfit Sonic Boom Six were just coming on as we went in. We had no idea who they were but they were epic. Ska meets punk meets rock with a bit of dub thrown in for good measure. Sounds dodgy but it worked. We'll definitely be checking them out again next time they're in Manchester. but if you're curious, here's a sample



or catch their latest single New Style Rocka on YouTube.


The King Blues were headlining and they were awesome.

Don't let the front page fool you - this band have some good stuff to say and the lead singer is a powerful poet. If you get the chance to hear his poem "5 bottles of shampoo", you'll know what I mean. Looking for it on YouTube I chanced across this video of the lead singer, Itch, sharing his own rendition of a beautiful poem by Byron as part of the BBC poetry season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did....