The opening night of George Junior's at the Lady Owen Arms! A headline too!! One week on from the excellent Leeds date and everyone else is long overdue to hear the Acolytes on their current high. Climbing onto the specially chartered bus, most faces are recognisable from previous gigs - they must surely go down better than last week...

"Acolytes Tragical History Tour" proclaimed the banner across the back of the bus, somewhat prophetically as it turned out. Once our tickets are checked, we're away - a voyage of wonder through North-East London. A humourous moment occurs as we near Islington and are greeted by one of the natives who taps on the bus window and salutes us with his middle finger before returning to the kerbside. See? You wouldn't get that in Leeds - London is so friendly.

The major disappointment upon arrival is our exclusion (yet again) from the guest list. And after going all that way to Leeds!! Cheers chaps...

Tonight sees the Acolytes headlining over The Senseless Things and The Milk Monitors as a gesture of good faith after an apparent cock-up on the admin front recently.

The Senseless Things are quite an enjoyable experience - at once both poppy and punky with a neat line in harmonies... (lapses into reviewerspeak: "blah, blah 1976 and all that...") Their best track is called 'When You Let Me Down'. Well, okay, I remember "I've Lost My Train" from the Peel Session and thus have a bit of an advantage over the uninitiated among the Theydon Crew.

The Milk Monitors seemed to peak with their soundcheck (always a danger in this crazy old rock'n'roll world) though Marc could've saved the day by including his snatch of "Blue Moon" in the set. (He didn't.) The reason for the gradual deterioration was soon to be revealed, however...

Bias. Partisanship. "I'm only here to see the Acolytes...", etc. None of this evenings entertainment was entirely unenjoyable, but we are all here for a reason...

Starting with "Ethnic", the band are looking very relaxed. Well, okay Alastair's completely Centrepoint already. Andy, meanwhile, has really loosened up - even going in for a spot of 'kicking Jamie in the chest'. Jamie, for his part, incites this rather humourous response by parading in front of the band in his 'Panic, Andy, PANIC!!', self-designed T-shirt.

A pity then, that about three songs in, the P.A., which had been teetering on the brink for some time, finally chose to give up the ghost.

"Well, this is good," remarked Andy, left standing rather awkwardly onstage.

"Oh, very Gothic," replied Phil from the audience.

After various attempts to sort things out, they gave up, Alastair rather unwisely threw his guitar on the floor, and they left the stage.

Ironically, had the band not gone on last, chances are that they could have got through a complete set. Oh well...