Spoonful of Sugar
Barnsley's GU Medicine come very much from the mould of hard hitting, melodic rock and roll and supporting the Wildhearts would seem like an ideal opportunity to get themselves known to a wider audience. As they begin their early set the crowd is small but people filter in throughout and they end up with a decent audience.
The immediate problem tonight is that it's far too loud, there's an argument that rock music can never be too loud but when nearly all the tune and dynamics are lost in a wall of noise that argument would seem defunct. The first guitar solo from Dale is just a rambling squeal and it's frustrating that the poor sound is resulting in a missed opportunity. Although the volume doesn't dip there do seem to be one or two tweaks made with the sound and half way through things become a little more intelligible, which is a blessing as up to this point the vocals have been barely audible.
Front man Lee is a dead ringer for Dave Grohl, right down to the stance and he does just as good a job. Despite the problems the band's presence and power really shine through and they get a good reaction. A succession of power riffs impress with the odd slower number having a distinct Motorhead vibe. The stand out track tonight is the fast and furious 'Amphetamine Express', a real powerhouse of a song that just leaps up and smacks you in the face. They finish the set by building to a massive crescendo of flailing guitars, wild drums and thundering bass. G.U Medicine have impressed but it could have been so much more had the sound been better.