Remedy / The Sound Ex @ Trillians Newcastle

Take a near heatwave combined with Andy Murray getting through to the next round of Wimbledon after an epic match that didn't finish till 10.40pm under a floodlit center court complete with closed roof, and you can expect a somewhat limited turnout for a basement rock bar in the middle of Newcastle on a sweaty Monday night. Shame really, because this was simply fantastic.

Having received the Sound Ex's excellent album 'Palomino' to review some time ago, I was very keen to see them live and they easily lived up to the promise their recorded material showed. Both Kit and Glen gave it their all, Euan was steady on bass and drummer Steven especially impressive.

Personal highlight was 'In The City' which saw both Kit and Glen in the audience and on the tables during the frantic guitar driven mid section. Very good support slot that no doubt made them some new fans. Do yourself a favour and check out their my space page. www.myspace.com/thesoundex

After being invited to headline a 'Club Fandango' night at The Dublin Castle in London as hosted by Rock Sound Magazine, Remedy made the decision to take 'The Long Route Home' as their tour is called, performing in various towns and cities on their way back to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. From the very first note, it's clear that the time on the road did them no harm.Obviously relishing being back on home turf, vocalist Jen not only sang her ass off but sported a grin as wide as the stage for most of the show, which the band opened with 'In Dreams', 'Serendipity' and 'Chasing Traffic' - three new songs that had obviously become an integral part of their set while on tour. If these are anything to go by, Remedy's next CD should be something quite special.

Tight as ever, bassman Lee and drummer Mark belted out the rhythmic pulse that drives the Remedy sound, while at time Graham's lead guitar was sublime. 'Am I Designed?' was bouncy and full of life and flowed seamlessly into an awesome performance of 'Learn To Speak' - a personal favourite made extra special by Jen's kind dedication. New song 'The Remedy' followed and due to a little microphone distortion I was unable to pick up alot of the words, the sound being the only criticism of what has thus far been an incredible set.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Remedy play their ace-in-the-hole, a version of Zeppelin classic 'Whole Lotta Love' that saw Graham use a bottle of Stella for slide. Jen sings Zeppelin material as well as Robert Plant ever did, infact her performance could easily make the un-educated believe the song was Remedy's own.Trying to top that is like trying to crack Rubik's Cube for the first time, but a staggeringly delivered version of 'Desire' managed to do just that. Graham's solo on this may be short but he delivered it with enough style and aplomb to grace any stage and as the backline built upon the song's rousing crescendos, Jen's vocal literally soared.

As a long time fan of Remedy, I have seen them live many times and they always deliver. I could not imagine them playing any better than when I last saw them supporting Logan at Newcastle 02 Academy - but I was wrong! The time on the road has brought a new maturity and depth to their performance that makes every song leap from the stage like never before. With a slot now secured at the Hard Rock Hell festival this coming December, Remedy are one band you should not miss. Check out their myspace page. www.myspace.com/remedyrocks

Photography by kind permission of Jason Warnes at Scooby Snaps Photography where you can see many more shots of two bands on excellent from. www.scooby-snaps.co.uk