SOLO RECORDS, TRURO (13TH MAY)

THE HITCHCOCK RULES OUTSIDE/INSTORE GIG

Another sunny Saturday afternoon and the streets of Truro are alive with the sound of music. Nothing unusual for the busker-friendly city you may think, but this was slightly different from the average dog-on-a-string fare that normally assults your ears.

Always inventive, The Hitchcock Rules were at Solo Records to do an instore gig promoting the release of their new multi-media e.p. Bookmarks page 1 , but seeing as it was such a nice day, they decided impulsively to do the gig in the street instead. Taking the music to the people, like the famous rooftop B-Sharps gig (but without the rooftop part), The Hitchcock Rules, with fully amped up kit entertained the afternoon shoppers and fans alike.

The last time I saw the band was at the end of a long evening of excellent performances at The Stannery`s `High Rollers` gig (see review below) and felt that they were a little subdued compared to the other performers, however this time I saw another side to their music. Playing in the warm sunshine, the tunes from the e.p. filled the ancient streets of the city and I found a new appreciation forming for this raggle taggle band. Light and jazzy upbeat songs held a large crowd that almost blocked off the street and saw children jigging along to the catchy rhythms of Rich`s drums and Disco Stu`s basslines. Ryan Jones, looking every bit like a young Mike Scott (from The Waterboys), sang and played the keyboards as if he was on the main stage at a festival, (which they will be soon - see the K Festival later this year), entertained the gathering crowd with his cheery manner and friendly banter.

The Hitchcock Rules have a large and loyal following that has been built up over a relatively short period of time and you can see why with this afternoon`s performance. Their extensive tour dates take them all over the country and this constant practice shows clearly in the relaxed attitude towards ideas like doing impromtu gigs outside and the easy conversation between the audience and the band. The set was too short for the growing crowd, but the hard working lads had to get ready for another gig later in the evening and so time was finally called after about three quarters of an hour of bouncy, summer songs.

What a great way to spend your Saturday afternoon - I saw a lot of people go after a copy of the e.p. as the band wound things up and not surprisingly, more Hitchcock Rules fans were created, (myself included). I`d spent weeks being told how good they were and how everybody liked them, and this usually puts me right off a band when the pre-publicity is so relentless, but in this case it is justified. I`m now newly converted to the Rules of Hitchcock and so will you be when you finally catch up with the rest of us. Resistance is futile !

(Photos by Johnny Echo Echo)