The terrific twosome The Fumes hit the stage to entertain a sizable crowd at The Metro. The crowd shuffled and swayed to songs of their debut album Guns of Gold as singer Steve Merry belted out numbers Automobile, Mystery Belle, Shake Them Bones and Grocery Store. Those whom I spoke to that evening commented on how impressed they were with the band’s sound, particularly as there are only two of them on stage. Joel Battersby’s rock rhythm worked well with slide guitars to deliver an energetic blues-rock buzz.

There is a good camaraderie between The Fumes and The Vasco Era. The two bands have played together before and the latter is supporting The Cruel Sea on future dates around the country. The crowd was building as singer Sid O’Neil belted out, When We Lost It All and When It First Showed Up. Again the feel was blues-rock meets indie, with a distinctive Neil Young influence.

Headliners The Cruel Sea did not leave the crowd waiting long, as they slid on stage with an effortless cool that was the ethos of their performance. The Metro was full, the crowd looking like sardines in a can from above. It was quite surprising to see so many, particularly on a school night and the concert finishing 1am. With that in mind, The Cruel Sea performed exceptionally well. Tex Perkins sashayed on stage, delivering lovelies It’s Alright (Cause She Loves Me) and Anybody But You, as the slide guitar and heavy bass dominated the music outflow. Tex liaised with the crowd, introducing band members between songs before announcing, “If you drink drive, you’re a bloody idiot,” as the crowd roared when Better Get A Lawyer Son began.

A few perched themselves on the seats upstairs, as a week-day gig deprived them of their well needed kip. This was short lived as the finale This Is Not The Way Home sizzled through the speakers, and a female perched herself on stage and danced away to an unresponsive Tex Perkins. She appeared a little lonesome until 15 like-minded ladies took to the stage, dancing, enticing and swooning to Tex and co. It was a sight to behold, as this bouquet of beauties besieged Tex with one hanging off his leg whilst another rubbed her rear on him. Truly the highlight of the night, words cannot describe the mood of clapping and cheering in between fits of laughter.