After three months of waiting, the Z-Fest finally arrived in Middlesbrough. The Dickens Inn played host to the first night of wild action, and Gerbil Bob (9) had the unenviable task of kicking things off. Well, they couldnt have done it any better than this. As soon as the 'Casual Attitude' opener hits, you find yourself hooked by the memerable and insanely catchy punk rehashes of old favourites. Pop crap like 'My Heart Will Go On' (Celine Dion) and 'Genie In A Bottle' (Christina Aguilera) is actually highly listenable, and dare we say it...enjoyable. In fact, Gerbil Bob do such an awesome job with these, that yuo are tempted to go home and slap them in your CD player, just to compare them. Gerbil Bobs own track -the bizzarely named- 'BumBumWillyWillyPooPoo' was requested by the crowd, and is met with a dancefloor full of skankers, and a rousing standing ovation at the end. Henry Carden, the bands drummer, said the songs was "Gerbil Bobs own 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'" and we have to agree with him. Teen spirit itself gets a little spin, as part of a three track medly, which like everything else, is nicely rounded and bouncy. The band certainly look the part with their suits, and bassist Stinky Ste especially, with his dapper bowler hat. Overall, it was a fantastic start to the night, and the band were truely delighted with their own performance....

Gerbil Bob (7) were always going to have a really tough time tonight, after their outstanding showing on Thursday night. But they did a damn fine job of it, and played well. The anticipation level was high for the group, and they didnt fail to please. They made a right mess of the unrehearsed 'Teenage Dirtbag', but to be honest, no one really noticed the blunder until they stopped and pointed it out. It wasnt to dampen the performance though, and they still managed to get people off their seats. The heavily requested 'BumBumWillyWillyPooPoo' once again recieved a huge reception and a full floor of people. A good showing from the group then, and I suspect, more new fans won.

The sound system didnt start working until Gerbil Bob (6) hit the stage, so they were up against it from the start, and none of the bands had a sound check. If this had been last night, you could add two points onto Gerbil Bobs score, because it wasnt the bands fault that the sound was poor, it was the equipment. Also, the total lack of any room in the place, and the hideously small stage, meant that no one could enjoy the show as they should have been able to. OM frontman Dani described the place as "a venue you would go to if you had a hit single 20 years ago, and you were making a comeback". So Gerbil Bob performed ok, but not to the reception they deserve, or the high standard now expected. The vocals being too quiet and the bass too loud. Stinky Ste looked the part as usual though, tricked into wearing Village People Indian garb by the rest of Gerbil Bob.
 

READ DANI'S FULL REVIEWS OF THE Z-FEST GIGS HERE
 

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