Jim'll Fix It

ANYONE familiar with the concept of a 'production weekend' will understand why Hot Pressers attending last Saturday's Support JIM Gig made a graceful exit at around midnight. With an eleven-band line-up scheduled to run until an eyes-on-sticks 4.30am, this was a gig for a Sunday lie-in crowd only.

Fortunately the night's early attractions pulled in a capacity crowd and provided even Ballygowan drinkers with some reasons to be cheerful.

Kerbdog, Kilkenny's latest export and the subject of glowing UK press recently, played a hearty set of grungy rock. Having just finished recording their album, the band are incredibly tight and could have easily fared just as well on a stage a hundred times larger than the Project's

The Unbelievable Children suffered absolutely horrendous sound problems which affected their performance, and though their 'Video Killed The Radio Star' cover got a few people dancing, this is a gig they'll probably want to forget quickly.

Then came a surprisingly enjoyable set from Firewater Creed (surprising because the name implied an undesirable Doobie Brothers streak). While four members of the band score low marks on the charisma scale, the long-haired, sun-glassed lead singer has a voice that would make Bon Jovi get a crew cut and an office job. Not the most original of bands, mind you, Firewater Creed's upbeat hard rock and occasional ballads managed to take people's minds off the sore bums that the Project's seating facilities inflicted on everyone.

And lastly, before the reality of an early rise on Sunday set in for yours truly, Candy Apple Red managed to overcome a disproportionate number of technical glitches at the beginning of their set and delivered a harsher, more compelling brand of indie pop rock than I ever recall them playing in the past.

PAMF, Peach, The Mary Janes, The Castanedas, The Tulips and LMNO Pelican went on to lend their talents to the Jobs In Music cause with admirable zeal, no doubt. Never before has the 'till late' promise been so completely fulfilled.

• Tara McCarthy