Reviews

Towards the end of 2007 the Thomas De La Rue in town started featuring live music at the weekends, and having been in there just as a pub I wondered how it would fare as a venue.

Rear Gunner Reilly.

Upon entering on Saturday 16 February 2008 I was pleasantly surprised. With the 'stage' located against the back wall of the pub, up against the window, it left room for a good sized 'dance floor' area, with a DJ to the side.

And it was the DJ that started the night off, and in good form. DJ 'Mini-Rolls' was at the decks, along with Andrew Wicks, and, to set the tone for Gay Army, played a selection of classic British punk.

From the Damned to the Sex Pistols to The Clash, it all laid down a good tone for the dark disco sounds to come.

Snare Cheif and Funkmiester Klank.

Gay Army took to the stage just after half past nine to embark on 'Operation Emotion, Motion and Commotion' and for the next 45 minutes to an hour got the, by now packed, De La Rue dancing at the front with their mix of post punk sounds.

As ever the band put on a great show with vocalist Rear Gunner Reilly once again being a centre of focused energy as he soon headed forward of the band to fill the space the crowd at first seemed reluctant to move into.

The band's music tonight seemed to have evolved from when I last saw them as their dark disco sound, always reminiscent of the 1980's post punk scene, had a deeper and more developed feel to it.

Major Dirt.

This really showed the skills of the band as not only was it their new material, but older songs as well that had evolved in this way while not loosing the great dance-ability that remains a part of Gay Army's unique appeal.

With the crowd getting well into the music by the end, Gay Army's slightly altered sound seemed to have been a triumph and the new material they played tonight fitted in very well with old 'classics' such as 'Pictures Of You' and 'Cracked Amerika' and, ending on a rousing 'Purple Hearts', they left the crowd calling for more.

After the band left the stage the punk rock started again from the DJs which left a very complete feeling to the night in this new, and hopefully developing, venue in the centre of town.