Good Time Charlies + Surfless + Contra + The Skuds - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. 09/07/05

A hastily arranged gig to cover a cancelled Saturday night reggae event means that the crowd is small tonight but the Charlies have managed to get the devoted out. But first we have to suffer the band that is The Skuds; second rate basic punk with put on gruff vocals and plenty of swearing. Funny for about two minutes before you realise they are for real and destroy a couple of classic covers, they look like kids pretending to be glue sniffing bad boys and it really doesn't work.

Contra on the other hand are the surprise package of the night; they make an impressive noise, angular guitar attacks blending with the sweetest melodies to build a wall of dense music that is enough to flatten you against the back wall. They also have a frontman who who has 'that' look about him, he doesn't move much or over act to get attention he just has that feel about him that makes you want to watch them...it must be something to do with the eyes, they draw you in, wrap you up in Contra's world and I know I'm not the only one who thought this as at least two other people made the same comment to me after their set. Very impressive and a band I want to see again as soon as possible.

Poor old Surfless, looks like their mates have stayed at home and nearly everyone else has retreated to the bar. They battle on in true 'the show must go on' style; tonight they are tight and play a decent set that sounds good in a bigger venue but one has to wonder how long they will keep going if people carry on ignoring them.

What can you say about the Good Time Charlies? Portsmouth's best Rock N Roll band continue to sound fresh and urgent despite being three albums old! There's no mucking around with these boys as they kick out the jams and inspire a pit of very drunken dancing. What I love about the Charlies is their knack for writing such damn catchy tunes that just pop into your head and then just stay there with their infectious choruses abusing your already alcohol drenched brain cells. And in true rock fashion they look good, not in that glossy styled way but in a real way, they look like a gang of best mates living out their rock n roll lifestyle without a care in the world. Long live Rock N Roll!