29th September 2005
From the second the Shotgun Smile boys walked through the door of The Fleet,
they new that the evening had a certain buzz about it.
The venue was massive, the audience was growing by seven o’clock (two hours before kick off!); this
one felt right from the beginning.
After minor technical difficulties to start off with the boys set themselves up on the stage overlooking the pub, even the amplifiers looked happy to be there!
This was a different type of gig for the boys; having to compete, not only, with
the ever-popular “Flares” above them, but with the rest of the pubs and clubs of
the Portsmouth guildhall walk.
The decision was made to vary the set list up a bit, due to the circumstances, and mix the songs around to maintain the momentum.
The first half went as smoothly as the waxed leg of a young virgin, no cock-ups and each song sounding better than the last.
At this point there was barely an inch of floor space in a pub bigger than any they’d played before which in turn generated their biggest
ever applause, notably after the Darkness' I Believe In A Thing Called Love, which was deemed to be their best ever performance of it.
During the interval a few punters left to listen to drum machines and synthesisers in the nearby clubs, but the many who remained we’re
more into it than ever!
Every song that was blasted out received a more rapturous applause than that preceding it; the boys loved it, the audience
loved it, and more than anyone, the tills loved it! So much so that the landlord couldn't wait to book them again. The return date is yet to be confirmed...please keep checking the gig guide.
Overall the gig couldn’t have gone better, each of the members of Shotgun Smile were on their best form yet and everyone in the audience loved it!
Star performance boys!