Music

So here I am backstage at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln with dry ice lapping at my heels and a camera held ready for action in my hands. I've got butterflies for some reason; maybe it's because I know how important performing is to the guys on stage. Tonight I feel strangely 'with' the band.

There is an unusual energy, a silent whisper, amongst the five guys stood facing the downed curtain in front of them. The other-side of that stage curtain is a sold out house.  If you were stood here with me now you'd hear the anticipation from the audience. You won't be able to see them but you'll know that they're excited and willing the curtain to rise. And finally, it does and the band whip into their first number and the audience? Yep, they go crazy!

I probably don't need to tell you how vibrant the music scene is in Lincoln at the moment. Some great bands have performed live in the Friday Night Mix studio at BBC Radio Lincolnshire and the first band to bring a full drum kit in for an 'intimate' performance was Southpark Roundabout!

Mark Wilde. Photograph by Scott Murray

So, when the opportunity came up to not only see the band but chat to them before a sold out audience in their home town I jumped at it. It's an unusual venue for a rock band to perform in but as I arrived with the weather lashing heavily outside it sort of seemed right. Here was a band in the raw, thankfully untouched by rock clichés and eager to share their sound within the pomp and circumstance of a theatre setting. And the storm raging outside was mimicked onstage by Southpark Roundabout’s incendiary performance.

What is great about this band is that they appeal to a real mix of people. At the end of the warm-up acts the bar areas were filled with young teens, trendy young adults and the slightly more mature amongst us waiting for the band to take to the stage.

Southpark Roundabout gave the crowds exactly what they needed and expected. I want to avoid singling out individuals from the band because this night they all worked as a unit. The single, "Tell Me", was a stand out track and the guys relished the applause the audience gave them.

If you like to have a laugh, enjoy good rock music and revel in the opportunity to watch some quality musicianship then Southpark Roundabout is the band you have to check out.