The Ga*ga*s, Portion. Scratchplate.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2 Thursday 27th April 2006.

Reviewed by Martin Stapleton / Pictures by Suzy Cook.

THE GA*GA*S are unfortunately not a band that I know too much about and although the turn out is painfully small, this does not deter the lads from putting together a solid and hard-working set of riff-driven tunes. In fact, the beads of sweat that emanate from the vocalist splatter the stage at regular intervals. The Ga*Ga*s are very much from the Jet school of rock - nothing too heavy but the riffs and the hooks are readily apparent although all through their set there doesn't appear to be any standout tracks. 'The Ocean Brave New World' gets a slight nod of approval, as does 'Crash and Burn'. This four piece certainly look and act the part and the interact humbly with the audience which I always feel is a good touch and much appreciated by us lowly punters. On this performance it is difficult to say how far up the ladder they can climb and I will keep an eye out for their progress.

The undisputed stars of the evening (no change there then) are undoubtedly PORTION who continue to amaze, entertain and won over a horde of new fans. Considering tonight is a low-key event it would be totally understandable for Blain and his motley bunch of mates to take is easy but from the opening salvo of 'Boyscout' through to 'Speedball' it was always as totally wild and unpredictable as ever. When Blain throws part of his mic stand towards the audience we pretty well know what the outcome is going to be. Far too often bands pose and posture just for the sake of it. For Potion, it all contributes to their overall look and performance. Blain even wraps the mid lead around himself during 'Short Days'! The single 'Blind Faith' is followed by the off-beat 'Whatever'. Portion are here again on the 28th of May and if you have not see this manic but very talented bunch of individuals I urge you to grab a Portion on that Sunday evening. You might need the bank holiday to recover from it!





SCRATCHPLATE opened the evening and although coming onto the bill at the last minute their mixture of their own tunes and covers kept their fans happy. Vocalist Fergus' choice of headwear was very strange (a very woolly hat) considering the heat on stage and the letting off of Party Poppers added a little colour to their show, which also featured an excellent drum solo.