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Amazing. Simply Amazing.

This is BlackBud’s first of two performances at Glastonbury. Both they won through Battle Of The Bands competitions. In short, both sets were fantastic. Today, the Avalon Tent is pretty full, BlackBud have already become a band to watch before having played here. From the instant they begin, the perfectly rehearsed almost telepathic bond between all three members is evident. The performance starts with a lively rock song, Adam Newton’s bass part holds together behind the guitar work from Joe Taylor and this is all punctuated precisely with tight rhythms from Sam Nadel.

It is obvious that BlackBud are having a great time, Adam (bass) doesn’t stop smiling for the entire gig. The performance is both musically perfect and confidently presented with the precision of a more experienced band. The up tempo pieces are surrounded by the mellower tracks featured on their demo CD.

Joe (guitar, vocals) seems almost in awe of the number of fans he has. The crowd are thanked after almost every song. ‘I Love You!’ is shouted by both male and female crowd members, Joe’s response to this is to throw copies of their demo CD into the audience. BlackBud deserve all the credit they have received, there was not a boring moment of the set, the songs are memorable, but not the extent that they become cheesy. All three members of the group are immensely talented, as the set ends there are comparisons of Joe to Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page.

For these reasons, it is my belief that BlackBud are going to be this year’s The Darkness, except (hopefully) without the catsuits or the awful Christmas single. It is not often that you could watch the same set performed two days running by a band you hadn’t heard previously, but that is exactly what I, and many others, did, filling the New Tent on the Saturday for a second helping.

Listen to BlackBud at www.blackbud.co.uk.