Review by Andy Garibaldi (Earnest Reply),

There was a first band on but I missed them.So, along come The Skinflints. Who? What? Where? They set up on stage and we had a guitarist to the left as you look at it, guitarist and vocalist centre stage in front of the drummer, bassist to the right and guy on synthesizers to the right. As the first track began, your attention is immediately caught by the sight of the synthesizer player hammering the shit out of some kind of drum that's set up to his left. The ban themselves are launching into this mighty hurricane of industrial strength rhythms, red hot guitar work and driving bass. That they then scorch into a song that reveals that the lead singer has a great voice, that the harmonies are strong are in tune and that you're witnessing a band that's got the furnace heat of a forest fire. It's riveting stuff and this is just the first song. From there on, you're hooked, for this was one stunning performance from a band who really cook. Throughout the set there's this huge whirlwind of guitar rock with massive rhythms and industrial electronic undercurrents that fill the place with sound and provide a storm force of sound to transport you to places way beyond the average rock or indie band. I was absolutely jaw-dropped by what I was hearing, so much so that there's no way I can give you any sort of song breakdown or description other than the whole effect was a sort of fiery "Hanney-meets-Hawkwind in an inferno" type of thing and even this doesn't comne that close!! You got searing guitar leads, the skull-crunching double drum attack, rivers of sizzling space synths undercurrents and electronic textural attack, all topped off by vocals that youfeel this sort of a band rarely have. The songs themselves are arranged to provide a truly dynamic approach so that the song is not merely a vehicle for the instrumental work - the two work in complete harmony and you are taken from solid songwriting to space-age inferno in a heartbeat. One absolute gem of a band and I can't wait to see them again! (oh yeh, they're from Glasgow!)
The Dials are a trio from Edinburgh who played a tight and driving style of song-based indie-punk occupying the hinterland between rock and indie where the song is everything and the instrumentation drives the song. Professional sounding, although their constant requests for people at the bar to move to the front proved a tad annoying, they turned in a set that really took hold. The vocals and harmonies were biting and the whole approach was more Foo Fighters than Jam, although elements of each poked through. The songs themselves were fine although nothing really grabbed me as memorable to take away with me, but that might just have been because the glory of the previous band's set was still occupying my head space. Certainly a good band and deserve another hearing. . . . . . . . .