The Auditorium is packed. On a Thursday. For the first time in the Spring term, our beloved Union Ents team has actually put some effort into promoting the alternative' night at the Union, and it's paid off. For the first time this term there's actually a crowd buzz. Which does make you wonder why the powers-that-be have pulled the plug on Alternative night, there's only one band on this term, the entire concept of the Free Band on a Thursday replaced by the promising 'Latino Experience'. Once again proving Loughborough to be the absolute epitome of Alternative Culture, but that's another story...for now, rewind to last March, when the night belonged to The Dum Dum's.

The Three-piece take the stage like a bubbling stream through a Desert, refreshing and invigorating. Songs like 'Killing Me With Kindness' and 'Kinda Day' overwhelming the crowd like a pop tsunami, and reminding cynical metal-heads and pumped up indie-boys exactly what it is to enjoy your self.

The Dum Dum's come across like Blink 182 and Green Day being molested by Nirvana, the Jam and S-Club 7, total bubble-gum punk-pop overload, like a stripped down, pumped up Supernaturals. Songs seem aimed entirely at the Teen Punk Market that brought all those copies of 'Enema of the State', and whose Mum's are far too scared to let them like Slipknot. Songs about unrequited love, songs about divorce, songs about Parental Pressure, and songs about being Shy. If your 14, these themes are far more real to you than the Manic's moaning about capitalism, or Korn shouting about child abuse, which is why the Dum Dum's are going to do very well indeed.

But right now, there's a bunch of students literally gulping down the popping-candy-and-Soda explosion that is this band. And there's actually a pit. Something unknown all this year, even Cast hadn't got people moving like the Dum Dum's. Of course, this is a little too much for the poor Union Security Staff. One gigantic hairy hand gets placed on my shoulder "calm down mate, or you'll be out". I'll stand still at future gigs.

"This might be the next single" says frontman Josh before 'Can't Get You Out of My Thoughts' "Once the record company decide what they're going to do with this boyband" referring to a comment made by yours truly in an interview an hour earlier. Incidentally, there's a b-side on the new single called 'Boy Band', which does make me wonder...

After a short break the lads take to the stage for a three song encore, kicking off with the brilliant 'Lonely Hearts', showing an unexpected degree of maturity; and ending (predictably) with the shot of pure cola-fuelled adrenaline that is 'Everything', the infectious pogoeing spreading to most of the crowd. At this point security give up policing the pit and attempt to protect themselves from the wash of bouncing bodies. And everyone goes home with a gigantic smile on their face. If only this could happen every week.

BACK