As you may remember, a few months ago I wrote a review of the Glastonbury-based four-piece Tijuana that was nothing short of glowing. I don't think I had a bad word to say about them, so I was looking forward to seeing if they could pull it off twice, or if the last gig was just a fluke. The venue, Tor Leisure in Glastonbury, is a decently sized performing area with a tendency to get far too hot - not a particularly endearing feature when the temperature that day had hit 30 degrees Celsius. Across the course of the evening, the crowd fluctuated between 50 and 175 people - not a bad figure for a baking hot Saturday night. Sundown Collective | | Sundown Collective |
The first band up were Sundown Collective - Joe, Ben, Nick and Darren - who cranked out a bizarre-sounding experimental number called Blackness to Blue Skies, which I had been informed was written in two hours. This was followed by an impressive cover of Interpol's Evil, and an ambitious attempt at covering Radiohead's Idioteque. "We like to try as much experimental stuff as possible," explained front man Nick, who bears a startling resemblance to Tijuana's lead singer, Miguel Da Silva. Upon investigation, I can assure you that they aren't related. Despite showing a lot of talent and potential, their nervousness and inexperience was evident. Their choice of songs for the evening was possibly a touch ambitious. However, their cover of Evil (one of my favourite tracks) showed that given a bit more time together, we could see good things from the Collective in the future. Rob Sharples | | Rob Sharples |
Next on the bill was Bath-based folk guitarist Rob Sharples, who had just managed to bag a recording contract with the man responsible for signing The Killers. Despite being a fantastic guitar player, I just didn't feel his music was right for the crowd at the time. It was too soft and too relaxing to appeal to the young, vibrant crowd who were out to jump around. Had we been in a coffee shop, his soulful blend of folk strumming would have set the mood perfectly, being pitched at just the right level as to facilitate conversation. However, in the increasingly sweltering confines of the performance area, it just didn't seem to go down well with the predominantly teenaged crowd. ClumsyThird up were Clumsy from Bristol, hot off the release of Felt Tip Philosophies, their first album.  | | Clumsy |
I'd heard things on the grapevine about this trio, including their bold use of bongo and conga, and socially aware lyrics. However, I wasn't expecting the full brass-horn section, provided by Global Horning. THAT was a surprise. How best to describe Clumsy's funky blend of reggae, blues and rock? The first thing that sprang to mind, before they were even partway through their first song, was "Sublime without the foul mouth." The strong vocal harmonies and unique sound that Clumsy assail the eardrums with are massively reminiscent of the '90s underground punk legends, but also smack of individuality. Their cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine was possibly one of the best songs I've heard in... well, a long time. With self-written tracks such as Melody of a Nobody, and All Day Today and Yesterday to show off their considerable talents, it's not surprising that Clumsy managed to stir the lethargic-looking crowd and pack the floor. All of which made for a perfect atmosphere for the night's main event. TijuanaAs Tijuana took to the stage, I have to admit to a small part of me hoping that they would prove the last gig a fluke, thereby securing my reputation as a credible and impartial journalist.  | | Tijuana |
After all, they couldn't impress me that much twice on the trot... right? Wrong. I'd been warned beforehand that Tijuana had evolved and grown. This was to be their first major headlining gig in a venue much bigger than what they are used to. And the boys didn't disappoint. Their unique blend of rap, jazz and rock, or razz-rock, instantly turned the crowd into a blur of dancing, moshing lunacy. One lad, who couldn't have been more than 12, came running out of the crowd after the boys rousing rendition of Bullet in the Head, exclaiming that somewhere in the fray he'd lost a shoe. Breaking out a host of songs I hadn't heard previously, including the uncharacteristically soft An Angel Kissed Me in My Sleep as well as trademark tracks such as Tijuana Blues, Resolution and my personal favourite Towers of Disguise, the razz-rock wunderkinds did it again.  | | Tijuana |
It's a rare occurrence that a band knocks me off my feet twice in a row. However, it's getting to be a regular occurrence when Tijuana are involved. The boys are going from strength to strength, and now their GCSEs are finished, where next for the crown princes of Glasto's music scene? "Jake, Dan and Glenn are off to Strode College to study music, while I'm going to study multimedia production," explained Tijuana's Miguel. "We're in no rush to get signed - all that can come later. We're young and have a lot ahead of us." That about sums it up for Tijuana - they're young, and have it all ahead of them. There's no reason that Tijuana can't go all the way - keep your eyes and ears open for these guys. | 
