David J Rice

So nearly three weeks ago (Thursday 29th June) I went to The Front Page to catch some local bands with my sister, I must admit I wasn’t expecting much but oh how wrong was I… Belfast’s music scene has really grown up since I was a regular at Giros, The Front Page and all those other small music venues.

Lineup

• Black Pearl Mafia
• Latex Spider Monkey
• S.T.U.N.T.
• Pocket Billiards
• Complan

I wouldn’t term any of the bands to fit squarely in the punk genre that is defined so clearly by the Sex Pistols, it was more of a modern mish-mash of genres and musical tastes each with a unique sound.

I really enjoyed the set by latex spider monkey, who gave us a wonderful exploration of experimental styled prog/alt rock and a huge helping of weird. With plenty of unusual time signatures and off-beat rhythms they were a technical delight to watch.

Pocket Billiards

It was great to see all 7 (or was it 9) members on stage. (Which is some feat in The Front Page) Maybe i’m slightly biased with a friend from work playing lead for them, but I do think they were excellent! You can check out some songs by the Pocket Billiards on last.fm to see what I mean.

All in all a great gig, and what a bargain at £4. It’s inspired me to check out local music more regularly.