EVENT REVIEW:   Rock The Catzbar II

15th March, 2000

"Inserting the life back in the face of Catz bar!"

It was so pleasing to hear so many positive things said about Rock The Catzbar and it is this response from a repressed (entertainment-wise) Catz population that has ensured the continuation of the event. It was hard to find a line-up for this second event as a few bands pulled out late on and we were keen to ensure that the quality of the event matched the first Rock The Catzbar. In the end, an astonishing five bands played, with DJs Ric and Al again filling the gaps between bands superbly. The achievement was again appreciated by a large crowd.

First up were Jungle Division, a unique live experience who had literally only hours to prepare for the gig and who on principal do not rehearse or play instruments they have ever practiced on. What emerged during their 20 minute set was a spontaneous freestyle collection of sounds, from the chapel-piercing sounds of the oscillator to DFT's seriously caning beats. The few who arrived early enough to catch Jungle Division were certainly moved by the sound and simply couldn't ignore them.

They were followed by Pretty Vacant, a popular Newnham band with their famous matching t-shirts. Their catchy pop covers were ideal fodder for the increasingly large audience. Sadly GwG did not treat us to her guitar-behind-head trick.

Florence, having impressed at the last Rock The Catzbar, had moved up the bill and rewarded with a sizeable crowd as they played a thoroughly entertaining acoustic set.

Ninthlife then returned to the Catzbar to play a fantastic set, including some new songs and some new versions of old songs. Their punk 'Blank Space' was riotous (a clear anthem for 2000 perhaps?) and the ambient SFTA was delightful; both songs recorded live at this event actually appear on their Clear Conscience E.P. (which you can buy for a very reasonable £6 from mp3.com).

Finally, Weedmeter headlined the night in crowd-pleasing cheesy funk style. Although not as alternative as the rest of the bill, they did entertain the Catz crowd with their stage energy and confident approach, rounding off another successful Rock the Catzbar.