“Thanks so much to Yves Klein Blue for having us.. and the the Holidays, who can have us any time…” So said the girl parts of Boys Boys Boys! as they finished off a set which would win the argument that making up dances with your friends at lunch time isn’t always a waste of time. While the boy parts of the band stood back and rocked as hard as they could the girls sprang around exuberantly celebrating well, boys. Merriment ensued.

The Holidays popped up next to keep the momentum going and give the newly graduated dancers an excuse to slosh themselves around nabbing hugs from strangers whenever they could get away with it, and making sure everyone agreed with them about how great the band were.

The extended gap between acts gave the crowd ample opportunity to throw back a few more pints, well, let’s be honest, jugs; leaving them well and truly lubricated and equipped with their drunken dancing shoes.

Folks getting chummy with strangers, (and pirates,) outside heard the smooth strum of an acoustic guitar and slowly dribbled inside to see if the band had actually started, only to see Michael Tomlinson standing alone onstage with his guitar, singing a quaint little song in a somewhat bizarre Americanish accent and looking a bit like a 1950s reject. With curiosity piqued, people took up their comfortable positions; hugging the walls, the bar, the pillars and in some cases, other people. Then the bass joined in… another guitar… drums and suddenly, without anyone realising quite when they’d started, Yves Klein Blue was playing!

What followed was a thoroughly entertaining, energetic and honestly, unexpected show that people could be talking about for weeks to come. The evening that was expected to have a reasonably quiet turnout suddenly saw Amplifier’s inside bar filled with people. The more sedate and ponderous stood towards the back, with tapping feet and nodding heads, leaving the space in front of the stage for the beer-fueled, happy campers to twirl and prance around with friends and strangers alike. The infectious energy and inviting beats of Yves Klein Blue were irresistible, drawing people forward to cavort like 6 year olds at a school disco.

The band seemed overwhelmed by their reception, saying several times that they would definitely be back and hoped the dancing boys would be there next time too. Tomlinson jumped off the stage to get his groove on with the punters, but was sadly limited by his guitar lead; perhaps this gig will inspire him to convert to wireless technology.

The set was topped off when they invited support act The Holidays up on stage for a rowdy interpretation of Beatles hit With a Little Help From My Friends. (a la Across the Universe) It was messy… it was funny… it was a great, drunken sing-along end to a great evening; although for some, it was only the beginning.

Mumbles of rockabilly, Brit pop and punk rock could be heard from the crowd, trying to explain what they were hearing, but it’s difficult to categorise this act, and who likes to be put in a box anyway? They sounded like Yves Klein Blue; they were fun, they were fresh and they are well worth checking out next time they’re in town.