I made my way to Stockport bus station to get a lift to the venue off OMD and his good lady wife. Jill was doing the driving because the only driving OMD does is driving QC down his throat. We got to the venue in good time even though the weather was foul.
This was my first visit to the Royal Oak and i'd heard that it has quite a hardcore fan base. Maybe this shows that too many gigs at different venues in the same town or city adds up to one thing and that is half empty venues. Other venues take note. Whereas at most gigs I go to there are never many fans watching the first band, by the time The Guilty Pleasures took the stage there was already a pretty decent crowd there to watch them.
This was the first time i'd seen The Guilty Pleasures live and although i've got CDs by them it is on stage where a band really shows what they are made of. They certainly didn't disappoint. This young Lancaster based band have a raw but melodic sound which came across really well on one of the best PA systems i've had the pleasure of hearing. Musically they were confident and the singers stage presence was good but the two other guys playing guitar were a bit static. The music is what really matters though and the music was good and the crowd seemed to like them. They had a good range of songs, 'Independence' which for me was the best of a pretty decent set.
Next up were Crashed Out who i'd seen only three weeks ago at the Star & Garter in Manchester. I've always liked these geordie lads and they were pretty good in Manchester but here they sounded so much better. It just shows how much a good PA can enhance the sound. It was pretty much the same set as in Manchester but it all sounded so much better. In their guitarist they have one of the best on the punk scene but I think he doesn't need me to tell him that, I think he knows. They were tight as usual but with them gigging regularly for over ten years i'd expect nothing less. My favourite song 'Murder On Sunset Strip' was excellent but even this was bettered by 'Fat Punks Don't Pogo'. Both songs are off their latest album 'Pearls Before Swine' which is excellent. The crowd were certainly appreciative and so was I. The band play plenty of gigs and I think they are capable of headlining more gigs than they do but that is down to promoters to have the balls to put them on as the main band.
Next up were the headline band The Epoxies who are from Oregan in the US. It was the first time i'd seen them and I hadn't heard much by them either so I didn't know what to expect. They hit the stage to a blizzard of foam, smoke and lazers bouncing everywhere. Their music is a bit poppy which I expected as soon as I saw they had a keyboard player, but it was very catchy and there were a few people up dancing to their faster songs. Their singer Roxy reminded me a bit of Lene Lovich (but better looking) and she was a very good front for the band with an excellent voice. The whole band were all capable musicians and I thought the songs they played were great. With a bit of humour and a very good set they definitely went down well with an appreciative crowd.

The Guilty Pleasures	Crashed Out	The Epoxies

Well I will certainly try and get to any future gigs at The Royal Oak. The sound is great and the turnout was pretty good for a Monday night. I had a word with some of the locals and they all seemed to be regular visitors to the place which always helps when you know you have a hardcore fan base. There was a stall there selling vinyls, CDs and DVDs as well as plenty of stuff on sale by the bands playing. The only blot on the landscape was the overpriced beer but that didn't spoil what was a very enjoyable night.

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