Mersey Beat
Liverpool band The Dead 60's arrive to an intro of air raid sirens before diving into their first number, a rather funky song with mod stylings. The mod style is prevelant in both the music and the look, a couple of the band sporting the classic Fred Perry polo shirts.
A thundering bass intro to the second song precedes an upbeat number with busy lyrics. The delivery is sharp and direct and the crowd are with them straight away. Some excellent drumming from Bryan Johnson supports a thoroughly polished performance from the rest of the band.
Third song of the set is reggae tinged, you've got to be a good band if you're going to carry off this kind of song and fortunately the Dead 60's are exactly that. Singer Matt McManamon is clear and purposeful and has more than a shade of Joe Strummer about him at times.
Alas, the now familiar demon of clashing schedules means I only get to see the first twenty minutes of their set. This is long enough however for The Dead 60's to impress and demonstrate that they have both technical and songwriting ability, as well as being able to engage the crowd instantly. Good stuff, one of the best bands of the day so far!