Blackbud and Fortune Drive at Moles in Bath.

Having been in a bit of a gig drought pretty much since pigging out at Donnington, I was looking forward to seeing the lovely Blackbud in London this week. Unfortunately, I got called away just as they were about to go on and while the Barfly was briefly hit by a power cut andtoo!

However, they also played Moles in Bath last night so we trolled along to have a good chill. But! It turned out that Fortune Drive were supporting. I'd seen them in Bristol about 18 months ago supporting (or being supported by?!) the lovely Clumsy lads. They were OK, but nothing to write home about.

What a difference a year makes! Last night they were tight, raucous, edgy and downright confident. Their songwriting craft has also taken a major leap forward pulling out every trick to get and keep the audience on their side: tempo changes, dead stops, vocal hooks, the lot. Excellent!

Blackbud's homecoming is always good. Is it really only two years since these callow youths won the battle of the bands there? Moles was compeltely rammed, seemingly with adoring young ladies muttering "I was at school with them you know"! We weren't disappointed. Old songs, new songs, slow songs breaking unexpectedly into longer, faster jams, strains of, dare I say it, Dire Straits, a drum fill nicked from Deep Purple, shades of Stone Roses, Pink Floyd but all mashed into Blackbud's unique style.

Nice.