A term like “Summer Skorcher” makes me think of lazy summer days, sand, sunburn & bumming around with nothing much to do & not a care in the world. This of course, was not the case.

We’re talking about the swinging 60’s, girls, scooters, The Who, uppers, guitars, downers, and a beach. Brighton Beach. Complete with plenty of biffo between the Rockers and The Mods. Doesn’t sound like a trip to Bondi does it? Who cares because this version is soooo much cooler.

After navigating the stairs and entered the venue, my ears were met with the delights of The Signals. Having never experienced this band before, I very quickly realised just how lucky I was. How often do you get to witness a rocksteady band in action? Not too often in this neck of the woods that’s for sure! And a female vocalist to boot! She sang with such a lovely tone and her smile was infectious. Your new best friend perhaps? Not too many punters on the dancefloor but it’s early days yet. It was also cool to see that not only did The Signals have a drummer, but they also had a percussionist too. Both parties complimented each other nicely. I really enjoyed seeing what percussion instrument would be used in the next song, while the drummer had one of the most intriguing concentration faces that I have seen. The bass player didn’t look too comfortable on stage. Maybe he was experiencing some technical difficulties? Just guessing because I certainly couldn’t hear any. And last but not least was the keyboards, which added the green light to let The Signals do what they do best. By the end of their set, The Signals succeeded to get those folk on the dancefloor moving their feet to their rocksteady beat.

By this stage, more punters had wandered in before DTS hit the stage. Again, another band that I hadn’t seen before and it seems I was in for a treat. 60’s R&B spliced with the 90’s English, shoe gazing sound, would be a ripper of a sentence to explain what this band were all about. Clean guitars, sweet vocals and lovely melodies proved that DTS were the 60’s record party that you always wanted. Daniel sung and stomped his way through the set, working the crowd and dancing up a storm. These were the boys that you could take home to meet the parents, but only if your Dad’s Beatles records were under lock and key. Tight, energetic and fun, the band left the crowd craving the 60’s experience that had just kissed them ever so sweetly goodnight.

Spectrum was filling up fast and the Dolly Rocker Movement had a hard act to follow. This didn’t seem to bother the boys too much as their 60’s pop had been spiked with the psychedelic garage sound, encouraging your teenage daughters to tune in and drop out. It seemed that Peter Brady had graced us with his presence this evening, singing to and willing all the girls in the front row, to come to his party. This band is a soundscape that you just have to experience to believe, and they WANT you to believe. Their songs swirl, caress, ebb and flow, occasionally freaking out before the mellow kicks in. The keyboards are glorious, building the songs up and bring them back to earth. I really enjoyed the drummer, he was solid, groovy and rockin, working well with the bass player to hold it all together. You don’t have to convert me – I’m hip to whatever decadence the Dolly Rocker Movement have to offer. They won the crowd over and had them eating LSD out of their hand. There weren’t too many people who weren’t on that dancefloor, losing their inhibitions and dancing with the devil. The Dolly Rocker Movement is a must to experience, once is a taste, twice is too nice and a third time, you’re hooked!

Still on a high after the Dolly Rocker Movement’s set, the crowd were ready for The Booby Traps. I’d experienced The Booby Traps before but I certainly wasn’t ready for what hit me! Fuzzy, dirty, 60’s garage rock that would make The Sonics proud! The warm, distorto, fuzz of the guitars was enough to make my knees quake and my hips shake with their catchy songs and pounding rhythms. Carrie is a fantastic front women, commanding attention and bangs that tambourine if she doesn’t get it. Man, they were tight! Good to see that the girls outnumbering the guys in the band 3 to 2! By this stage, there was no saying no to The Booby Traps and just about everyone was shaking it on the dance floor. Hearing a cover of The Real Kids Do The Boob bought a smile to my face. But like every good garage song, it’s gotta end sooner or later. The Booby Traps were rockin’ and rollin’ and the only thing the crowd were left with were extremely sore feet.

If I could have taken all the bands home with me, set them up in my garage and had a rock’n’roll party every night of the week, you dear reader, would be invited. This was the kinda fun you just can’t get enough of. Unfortunately, I don’t have a garage at my place. Get outta your garage and get your own teenage kicks, you won’t be disappointed!