An eerie blue pall hangs in the air as four figures take to the stage. Outlined by the U.V. backlight that illuminates their backdrop and surrounded by bubbles, the Acolytes ease into their opening number, a new song entitled "The King Of California".

"Rock'n'roll Outlaws" screams the backdrop, beneath a giant slapdash painting of a raspberry.

Tonight's audience is mainly family and friends, apart from the presence of another local band "checkin' out the opposition (man)." Quite naturally, the Acolytes go down rather well.

(Hold on - a raspberry?)

"California" - a slow, atmospheric number - builds gradually to an exciting climax, whereupon everyone applauds and the band launch into some real rock'n'roll.

The now familiar tunes stand out - the uplifting surge of "Trans European Excess" with everyone joining in the chorus ("weird" - Alastair), the manic - and frankly embarrassing - "Get Down To Lovin'" and the ever-popular (and even more manic) "Crazy Horses". Everyone by now has heard the studio tapes featuring these three tracks - they've virtually been burnt into our skulls as of late. As a result, we all know every word and sing along heartily.

(Or is it a strawberry?)

The less familiar - though equally popular - "Meet Me (In A Godforsaken Place)", "3-0-0-1" and the electrifying finale of "San Francisco" serve not just as set padding, but show that the Acolytes have a real grasp of exactly what it is they're doing. (Which is??? - ed.)

The band have thankfully learnt from their previous outing in this format and there are no embarrassing "let's-all-turn-away-and-see-what's-up-the-back-of-the-stage-before-the-next-song" moments tonight.

The only criticism of tonight's show is that the band still haven't been able to combat the effect whereby the audience is allowed to recover between numbers. Thus the music never captures them and spirits them away - they see it coming every time. (WHAT ARE YOU ON?????? - ed.)

None of which seems to bother anyone here tonight. The hardcore following (the self-styled "Pixies") in their "Acolytes" T-shirts have come to enjoy themselves which they do to a maximum by slamming, stage-diving and showering the whole place in confetti. More obscure (and less repeatable) antics include Jane and Jamie's waltzing all around the dancefloor and some berk who decides it'll be a jolly wheeze to dive off the stage with a camera around his neck, which subsequently belts him in the mouth.

(No, strawberries have their seeds on the outside.)

Halfway through the set something's wrong. Of course! Nobody's wearing their swimming hats! All they need is one idiot to start them off and they'll all be wearing them. Consequently, Y.T. - the average, mild-mannered fool - complies with both requirements (he just doesn't care! - ed.) and sure enough it's all they need to bring them all crawling out of the woodwork, caps on heads.

"San Francisco" ends and the band are left onstage looking rather awkward after Andy's clumsy exit. No one says a word and the band half slip off their guitars.

(Yeah, it's a raspberry - it's all bulgy.)

A single shout: "Encore!", the band immediately whip their guitars back on and lurch into something that was so memorable I've forgotten it. Never mind, it was probably "Crazy Horses" - it usually is. Again the crowd are rather unresponsive at the end - don't they realise that their heroes could leave the stage not to be seen again 'til Saturday? Well, put like that it perhaps doesn't seem so terrible...

The single shout again: "1969!" convinces the band of what they should do: they throw their guitars back on and turn in a classic rendition of the Stooges standard, with Mike's effects boxes totally refusing to comply with his wishes leading to Alastair taking over the "wild" solo and ending up prone (for the second time in the evening) in the middle of it. Very Gary Marx/Spinal Tap. (He later confides that dropping from a standing position is perhaps not as advisable as dropping from a kneeling position, so we may never see that particular piece of theatrics again.)

This time the crowd are impressed; they've finally been allowed to glimpse something of what the future holds in store and, after discussing and comparing the various injuries they have received, they (eventually) leave. Now let's get this bloody confetti cleared up...

(Yep, it's definitely a raspberry.)

Set: King Of California, 3-0-0-1, Body, Get Down To Lovin', Meet Me (In A Godforsaken Place), Filofax (Newboid's), Crazy Horses, Trans European Excess, Death Train To San Francisco
Encore: ???????????????
Encore: 1969