Well, I’ve had a nice night. Correction, I’ve had an awesome night! Not one ounce of alcohol was absorbed into my blood stream, either. It was a very rare, ‘natural high’.

I arrived at the recently renovated and renamed, Yallah Roadhouse, where I was to witness Tambalane and their support act, British India. I was greeted by a big (but lovely!) security guard and a closed door when I arrived. After trying to confirm my reasons for being there by the security guard, then management, I was finally greeted by none other then Wes Carr, Tambalane’s lead guitarist and singer.

“Hi, sorry about all this, but it’s a pretty full house, so you’ll have to watch yourself.” I accept his apology, and follow him inside. What I found was British India performing for Tambalane, who were eating dinner. Now, by nature, I’m not normally an angry person, but WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE? My heart ached for British India, who performed for a few select people, with most of the cheers coming from the Tambalane boys (trust me though, my mate and I put in our fair share of ‘whoa’s’ and ‘yeah’s’ too.)

But one great thing I learned tonight was that you can never judge a band by the size of the crowd. I was blown away by British India to be honest. These guys knew how to rock in every sense of the word. And they’re a pretty talented bunch for nineteen and twenty-year-olds.

Nic Wilson was ever so slightly mesmerising with his solos and had some incredible riffs.

I also paid particular attention to Declan Melia’s hard rock voice. It was refreshing to hear the vocal abilities of a teenager live, without it being glazed over and ‘corrected’ by clever recording equipment.

As I said though, the band, as a whole rocked out big time. There was so much energy from the stage, I wanted to abandon my plate of wedges and get up and dance. But due to the lack of other audience members on the floor space, I felt a little self- conscious.

They had great stage presence, and a sound that somewhat resembled that of The Clash (I recall the lady at the bar telling me they reminded her of the Sex Pistols, so she thoroughly enjoyed the show also). But no, they were a great band in their own right, and a very friendly bunch of lads.

By the time Tambalane took to the stage, the place hadn’t filled out much more. Nevertheless, the boys gave us an awesome show. Me, being the idiot I am, forgot to take a pen, so every time something interesting happened, I had to put it in my phone. I unfortunately looked like a young, text hungry, yuppie, but believe me, it was all good stuff I was storing in that gadget.

Being Wes’ birthday, admittedly, he was entitled to have a few drinks. But it didn’t detract from the performance at all. I can honestly say he’s got one of the best live rock voices I’ve heard in a long time.

Ben Gillies, as we all know, is an exceptional drummer (anyone heard of that band Silverchair?), but it takes someone with real talent to keep a smile on their face and keep the crowd bopping, whilst they’re positioned right where the roof slopes on a dangerously sharp angle. We all know drummers aren’t the most still of band members, but he gave us a rockin’ beat.

Other band members must get a mention. I’ve never seen a keyboardist groove as much as Gerard Masters. When I say groove, he danced up a storm. He and bass player Greg Royal gave us impressive solos during the set, proving the worth and versatility of their instruments.

Together, Tambalane were an unstoppable force of entertainment, bustin’ out massive tunes such as Baby Blue, Scallywags, Little Miss Liar and Free.

But, my ultimate highlight was there cover of The Beatles classic, Get Back. At this moment, Ben was joined on staged by British India drummer, Matt O’Gorman, making a spectacle of one of the most wicked drum duets I’ve ever scene. Pretty soon, the rest of the British India joined them; Declan, Nic and Will Drummond, who carved up the stage in some way, shape or form.

Oh boy, I had a tops night! I’m begging all of you, give these guys an audience at their other shows. They truly deserve it, as do you. It was a genuine treat for me to see British India and Tambalane perform. Though the crowd size was small, it made the atmosphere more intimate, and a heck of a lot of fun.

Thanks boys, for being such an approachable, friendly bunch. I can’t wait to see you guys next time!