The following day was the big London all dayer at the Garage. I’m not generally a fan of these things, but it turned out great. I have to (sadly) admit, that despite not instantly hating the bands in the afternoon, most just washed over me, leaving little lasting impression, although Sunfactor and Travis Cut stood above the rest. The whole day was neat, with stacks of nice people too numerous to mention and plenty of drinks. The excellent wristband policy meant that when I needed some diet Pepsi action I could pop out between bands and hang out by the park. I went for a stroll with Scott (from Broccoli/Shonben) to buy a ball for the later football match involving numerous Gipsy Hill types and bands playing that day. I saw Chuck later too, showing me his wounds from this game! As the day wore on and people got more drunk and restless, it was time to move inside to see first The ‘Tone, who had the kids dancing, and then Discount. They played a stack of short spiky new songs with their new bassist, and they didn’t all grab me as instantly as those tunes I already knew, but with Ryan in top form and Alison as intense on stage as ever they were, as always, highly entertaining.

Hot Water Music played last. Having spent the previous weeks and hours telling everyone who’d listen to me how amazing they are, they were just that. Energy, power, emotion, songs all rolled into one electric forty minutes. I was even moved to sing and dance (thanks to "Alachua") which, approaching thirty, is a rarity these days.