Ever been to one of those gigs where you genuinely don't know what to expect? Well, we all have at some stage, haven't we? Well, tonight definitely was one of those...
 
The crowd in the basement bar at the Queen's University Students' Union (where this excellent venue is located) is an eclectic one, with fur-coat clad middle-aged women rubbing shoulders with snotty-nosed dance fans, cowboy-booted rockers vying with diehard punks - although, in the best rock 'n' roll tradition, the predominant clothing colour is definitely black! Such is the cosmopolitan appeal of Brixton's finest.
 
Openers Oddsocks Revival have the unenviable task of warming up what is obviously a very partisan, hardcore A3 crowd, but the Sligo trio are obviously determined to have fun - and do just that. Their sound is a sort of cross between funky-blues and blues-funk, tinged with elements of fellow countrymen Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy, as well as Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes and touches of Parliament and Bootsy Collins, especially in the excellent bass work of Michael Conefrey. Their determination is rewarded as, through 'East Of Jacksonville' to the brilliant 'Chasing The Dollar' and the hugely catchy 'Witch Doctor', the audience slowly grows in numbers and by the end of their 30 minute allocation there's a healthy amount of dancing going on around the arena.
 
Alabama 3 have a helluva reputation to live up to, with their live gigs being more akin to massive parties (often carried on into the wee small hours, as evidenced by the band and their entourage being kicked out of their hotel for being overly rowdy during their last visit to this part of the world) than pure concerts, and there undoubtedly a huge air of expectation in a crowd that is now rammed to rafters to the basement venue. As a first-timer to the A3 experience, your uber reviewer is not quite sure what to expect, but it very obvious that my 900 or so compatriots clearly do...
 
What is also obvious from almost the very moment the Londoners take to the stage is that something is not quite right.. missing even - well, apart from 'Woke Up The Morning', which, despite being the group's biggest (if not) only hit was strangely omitted from this evening's set list...
 
Frontman Larry Love certainly commands the centre of the stage, and the band are a tight, well-oiled unit: but, he seems to be struggling with his vocal delivery, and not even the arrival of his erstwhile sidekick, the Reverend D Wayne Love, is able to remedy the situation, as there is a distinct lack of charisma and on-stage electricity. The inclusion of so much unheard material from the new album, 'Shoplifting 4 Jesus', also results in a set unfamiliar to the vast majority of the audience. Sadly, the overall effect was one of a very public rehearsal for more important gigs ahead, which all told made for a disappointing and unfulfilling experience for all but the most diehard of A3's congregation.