If you were looking for a night of contrast and immense fun you should have stopped by The Garage to witness the excellent The Hot Damn! supporting the ever-brilliant Hayseed Dixie. The aforementioned The Hot Damn! opened with a rip-roaring set that fully engaged the audience - formed from the remnants of The Amorettes - this foursome play with a confidence and bluster that makes you stand up and take notice. Gill Montgomery’s strong vocals and guitar are backed to perfection by Laurie “Loz” Buchanan on guitar, Lzi Hayes on bass and Josie O’Toole on drums.

Sheathed in multi-colour suits and spouting high energy, they tore through their set with the singles 'Live Laugh Love', 'Dance Around' and the super catchy 'I Didn’t Like You Anyway', making the forthcoming debut album a must have. Certainly a band to keep an eye on…

The mighty Hayseed Dixie's brand of eclectic covers, with a style bordering on mental delirium in some parts, sees them play Hard Rock and Bluegrass music on electrified acoustic bluegrass instruments! Indeed, the band has released 16 studio albums and played over 1,400 live dates in 31 different countries since its inception in 2000!

Proving the class of the originals, these somewhat stripped back versions are instant singalongs and make for a fantastic atmosphere, such as particular favourites, 'Hells Bells', 'Paranoid', 'War Pigs' and a superb 'Ace of Spades', but it’s all so much fun, including their originals littered through the set, that walking back from the camera pit through the crowd, I was met by a mass of smiles. It’s engrossing and highly recommended - even if you just go once to see them, you really must go!

Les Linyard