Some of the best gigs are caught by accident. Whiling away my time on a lazy, sunny, Tuesday sunny afternoon in the beer garden of the George Tavern, I overheard a band doing a soundcheck with guitar riffs that wouldn’t put The Raconteurs to shame. So, I decided to buy an impromptu ticket and ordered one of their fine pizzas they do here in an outdoor wooden hut to keep me going before the evening start.

There were to be three acts on the bill beginning with the solo act, Mungrul, who apologised for not having the rest of his band there, the bassist occupying himself in the audience and the drummer on a returning flight from Majorca! As a result he mentioned he was going to make it up as he went along, often the best way. Billed as the angry man’s Jazz, he mulls over quaint topics such as waiting for a bus delivered with gritty London phrasing pared down with an electric guitar.

Continuing the London theme, Phish Bowl are an energetic four-piece who conjure up 90s influences ranging from the Eddie Vedder-like vocals in their Grunge inspired numbers to Jarvis Cocker-style wit at points. 'Parry Hotter' is a brilliantly named tune as the band’s playing moves into Sonic Youth’s 'Daydream Nation' territory with their unusual guitar tunings. Their final song, 'Not Today', is delivered with a menacing baseline driving the set to a climatic conclusion.

And for a break from the norm, Mexican band Robbers sing all of their songs in English including the track 'Spanish'! The sublime vocals of Daniel Pablo are the icing on the cake for a band that have tremendous chemistry. 'W.G.T.F (Won't Get Too Far)' features jagged guitars pulled together with expert drumming and their rousing finale, their latest single, 'Sleep', evokes Pixies with its quiet-loud dynamics, stole the show. Well worth checking them out at https://www.watchtherobbers.com/

Ivan De Mello