You'd certainly be forgiven tonight if when you happened to glance out of one of the many portals on Bristol's premier concert boat to think that you'd envisaged a penguin sat on the quayside.  It's fucking freezing in this here boat, and not even resident non stop dancer and local scene legend, Big Jeff can raise a sweat in these conditions. 

It was left to local three piece Thick Black Theory to have the rather unenviable task of not only trying to break the ice (literally) tonight but also kick things off whilst most were still making their way to the venue, as the dreaded club night early curfew struck once again.  Their short set however was certainly filled with enough musical twists and turns to make the growing throng of Zico freaks crow in appreciation. 

Next up, and carrying an 'NME recommended' health warning, were Northern noise mongers To The Bones.  Arriving on stage bathed in a sea of dry ice, the four piece weren't long around laying their musical cards on the table. Sounding somewhere between The Pixies and The Birthday Party, the NME albatross was quickly thrown overboard in a blur of manic riffs and hook-laden tunes.  Singer Rhys G Bradley may look like a dead ringer for ex Journey frontman Steve Perry in this light, but his gene pool of influences comes from a much darker place where Ian Curtis and Nick Cave should never be mentioned in the same sentence as 'Don't Stop Believin''. Oh fuck I just did.

Tracks like 'Judith' and 'Lips On Red' live were certainly enough to convince me to purchase a copy of the band's debut album 'Duke Type A' from the merch booth within minutes of the set ending, but hang on a minute "Alt Rock Denied!" as it had already sold out.... Damn.

Although To The Bones may not be the finished definite article at the moment, they are certainly shaping up to be one hell of wake up call to the UK's frankly dire Alternative music scene.

It only seems like a few days ago since I was reviewing Zico Chain's last jaunt around the UK, but it's the band's unrelenting work ethic that once again sees them sleeping in the back of hire vans in deep mid winter.  These guys never sleep, and when they have some of the best material they've ever written ready to play for you, you have to ask the question "why should they?" Sleep that is.

Braving the elements in T Shirts, and looking every inch the rock gods they sound, bassist/frontman Chris Glithero, drummer Oli Middleton and aptly named guitarist Paul Frost, soon have things warmed up with a subtler mix of old and new this time around.  People are squashed up close and dancing like demented idiots to the likes of 'Junk' whilst newer stuff like the bass driven 'New Romantic' permeates a sound of confidence and growth in the Zico's song writing. 

Last single 'These Birds Will Kill Us All' is still the yardstick by which to measure the Zico's these days, and this infectious slab of dark rock is about as good as it gets, I can assure you.

Finishing off with a rip-roaring career resume of 'Where Would You Rather Be', 'Rohypnol' and 'Pretty Pictures' you are left in no uncertain terms that these guys are going to be around for a very long time to come and won't simply 'Roll Over' (which incidentally would have been great to have heard tonight).

Even if the venue could have been renamed Ice Station Thekla, when Zico Chain are in town you're never short of some 'Bile And Blood' to warm your cockles. 

Now where is that new album guys?