Well done Cactus. A review with a theme. All the excellent reviews are getting me more depressed for missing the gig. Great to know the new songs are still going down well. Even Michaels' review was short, sweet and to the point. Billy and John with knotted hankies on their head. They're not from Yorkshire are they!

A copy of 'Thrill Me' sold on eBay for £6.02... why?! Is it not still available? Copies were on sale at Guildford on Saturday for £4.

Where was I? Oh yeah! Spent night swatting ants in between naps, until 7.30am when some children apparently could not see my luminous green tent and fell in on me. Spilt my remaining drink all over the place. I now not only feel like I swallowed a brewery, I smell like one too. Decide to pack up and make my way to Brighton after a strong coffee as my ticket to the event is only for Saturday. However, the campsite is inside the festival site and staff duly let me in the site to go out. Needless to say I pick a spot and sit down to watch the Sunday show. Good start. Wake up to a familiar sound. Can’t believe it. The Jeevas are playing You Got My Number. This is followed by TK every break. Someone up there likes me.

The failed Eurovision band Jemini comes on and is surrounded by banners in the audience saying ‘nil pais’. Could have got the spelling wrong there, but you know what I mean. Time to go. Really looking forward to Brighton now. Just know it’s going to be good. Blasted out Tones music all the way. Just in time to meet Henry who’s cycled down from Wimbledon. We go for a quick drink. We decide not to go into a pub called Kruze, but go into one nearby. Needless to say Henry’s cycle shorts were getting a bit of attention.

Already, seen the rehearsal. The sound is great. Meet up with the guys at the venue and it is busy. Not sure what time they are on but it’s got to be soon with this amount of people here. You just know when it’s going to be good. There is that air of anticipation, the loud chatter between the gaps in the build up songs, and no gaps in the audience at the front of the stage (and definitely no deck chairs). I just cannot help the smile on my face.

YES!!!!!!! Jimmy Jimmy to start and I eventually work out the rhythm of this audience and get into my pogoing stride. More fast songs (should’ve got the set list sorry) more people dancing/smiling. Sweat starting to pour now but I’m still smiling. The dancing audience is a mixture of young and old (I class myself in this category) with quite a few young women there. I note this because it is definitely a difference from first time around, with very few girls (Jackie and Lindsay apart) into the group then. New songs. I can have a break now. No chance, the audience still wants to dance. I just get carried away. Cactus has fallen over or he is picking someone up next to him. No he’s just doing up his laces. He keeps tricking me like that all night. Just realised that everyone knows the words! There is a kid of about 14 next to me and he’s singing. How does he know the words?

More songs. New songs / old songs the audience keeps going, there is no stopping them. CmoS is right in there and Henry, cliff, Cactus are there too. Not one slow one the audience has stopped pogoing to yet. Absolutely amazing. More and more people dancing. Smile has never left my face. Wednesday Week and thank god the audience take a break. I take a breather. This is my best gig for a very long time. Paul is a brilliant addition to this fantastic group. I wait with more and more anticipation for the new songs, my favourite has not been played yet. Jump Boys! Back to it. The 14 year old has wilted. The youngsters these days! When Saturday Comes, Get over you, Here comes the summer, Rough Escalator, Male Model, True confessions and my favourite With a Girl Like You, are some of the songs played.

No rest up front and I am absolutely knackered. Someone famously said of The Undertones that on their day they could raise the dead, well I had made my mind up to take a well earned break and made my way to the back of the dance crowd. Guess what! T.K. came on and the other half of the audience joined in. Oh well what a way to go!

Decide to push my way to the front, at least it’s so crowded there you don’t have to dance, just move with the crowd. Smile back on now. Can’t believe it; Cactus is still trying to do his laces. More songs, more people dancing. Resign myself to staying in there now, as I can’t get out. More new songs. This is a great set. All too soon it is over. Only one encore (2 songs). It’s not only me who’s disappointed, most of the front rows are. Water, must have water, as well as a change of clothes (I’m soaked from head to toe). What a gig! Definitely worth the 4 hour drive back home. I’m sure they’ll understand if I’m late at work. My only worry, is that people will realise how good they are and I won’t get a ticket to the next gig. Don’t tell anyone will you.

Great reviews all. I'm sure it was much better than a boring football game but clever review Cactus. Derek mentions the smiling, and its so true. I have never seen so many smiling faces than when at an Undertones gig. I think its because we never thought we would have that joy again of seeing such a great live band.

THose were the days

Great stuff Derek, Cactus.They didn't play WSC though, thats something I wouldn't forget.The grinning from ear to ear when The Undertones play is an interesting thing isn't it? Why does it bring that out in everybody, I dont just mean us saddos on here,I notice it with everyone down the front.My theory is that we can't believe its all happening again, its to good to be true and also the subject matter of the early songs has something to do with it IMO.

Brilliant reviews- could almost smell the sweat and chips!!! More gigs PLEEEEZE!!!

:-)

Just thought about the Undertones there.

I love reading the reviews, especially when you know how unbiased everyone here is. Bloody laces; if I don't do double knots they're always a problem; its a long way down to tie them too. Next time I'll try wellingtons. This smiley thing is interesting; I must check it out at any other gigs I go to in future and measure the smileyometer reading. This 'young audience' thing is interesting too; totally critical if the band is to move on this time around.

I seem to have got a job lot of ; there.

Do any other bands have a message board as good as this? I look at quite a few such sites but never feel the inclination to check. Are we unique in the universe or just one of many?

Thrill Me on John Peel right now!

cactus tones fan`s are one of a kind lets face it what bands around now will have the same fan base in say 10 or 20 years they dont seem to last moer than five anyway and there fans move on to someone new everytime but we stay true to the best live band i have ever seen so lets just do what we do best give the band the surport we allways have talk soon see ps csi tonight very good have only started getting into it see ya

Is this the earliest ever Undertones picture, before they asked Feargal to join?

Does anyone know who's playing keyboards on the Here comes the Summer clip on the official website? The quality isn't great but it looks like John and Damian are playing guitar. This must mean it is Micky, but I can't ever recall Micky playing keyboards and to be honest it looks a bit like Damian and nothing like Micky. No one seems to be playing bass. Am I just getting confused or is Micky missing and if so who is the 'sixth Undertone'?

Wilke: Think I'll go with you on this one. We are all great aren't we?

I used to have a joke that the sixth undertone was Johnny Thunders. I was also utterly convinced that they had an unreleased single which had the words in Smash Hits, it was called 'Parker Power' (no, NOT parka!!) God where did those memories come from???