Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

It's reassuring to know that in the midst of the Christmas hysteria and nostalgic Christmas tunes, we still have a chance to listen to the bands who have taken Northern Ireland by storm over the past 12 months. Local lads Strait Laces held a Christmas gig in Stiff Kitten to help us remember how to rock around the Christmas tree, minus the mulled wine. Along with the band came Queer Giraffes and the Rupture Dogs, set to give the night its own special Christmas cheer.

Even with the potential threat of snow on the horizon, Queer Giraffes took to the stage to give us a few renditions of our favourite Christmas tunes. Not only did this send the spirits rolling, but the crowd singing. This was the first time I'd seen the band live and found their music quite easy to listen to, but I felt they weren't quite getting into the festive cheer as easily as everyone else. But then again, the night had only begun.

After this, it was time to crank up the sound a notch, and the Rupture Dogs were just the fellow's to do it. The band livened up the atmosphere with their almighty power-chords, also show-casing some old songs, which were happily accepted by the semi-merry spectators.

Rumours circulated that a long awaited wolf would grace the stage of Stiff Kitten for the first time, but unfortunately Strait Laces did no such thing. However, to compensate, they added to the Christmas cheer by providing some new stage decor to the drum kit in the form of twinkling red Christmas lights. It was clear by now Christmas had arrived in Stiff Kitten.

As the lads blasted out tunes such as Where the 'Wolf Roam', 'Kids Like John Need a Hero', and 'Guiltshake', we also had the privilege of hearing some new tracks from the forthcoming album. Sadly we were told this would be their last gig for a while before the album launch, hopefully scheduled for January or February. From what we heard from the new album it is sure to showcase a different side to the band that we haven't heard yet. Let's hope both album and album launch will kick start 2011 and welcome us into a new year filled with new music from our favourite local bands, and introduce fresh born and bred acts to satisfy our music needs.Γ―ΒΏΒ½

Holly Ballentine