"It’s been a long time, we're kicking off the cobwebs" gasps Toby Jepson after leading his tight three piece band through the Little Angels’ song Don’t Prey For Me. "But what better place to kick them off than at Vivas" continues Jepson, who reformed his band after a call from Thunder asking him to support them on their forthcoming tour. Tonight’s support came from The Variants, who played with enthusiasm, confidence and a great guitar sound from Nick Butler. Although the set was dominated by Little Angels’ favourites such as Womankind, Jepson’s own more AOR songs - Breakdown and Unwind from 1992’s Refresh EP also gained favourable reaction. Inside Out from the album Twisted Rhapsodies reminded us of Jepson’s natural prowess as a front man and vocalist. It will be interesting to hear how his set balances out between Angels’ and solo material as the tour progresses. “We haven’t played this song in years” grinned Jepson as the band launched into Ain’t Gonna Cry - which reached number 26 for Little Angels back in 1992. The band was also augmented by brass during an energetic version of Young Gods. Fiddly fretwork from guitarist Nick Dunn confirmed that he may be an outstanding technician but his playing lacked the charisma and sensitivity of Angel’s guitarist Bruce Dickinson. The first encore All The Roads Lead To You from Las’ re-released 1997 album Too Posh To Mosh and an equally memorable The Way That I Live from LA’s Number One album Jam, were a touching nod to former glories and a reassuring come back for Toby Jepson. Dave Wright | 
