Friday night was Children In Need, and as anyone who's ever seen me buying clothes in a charity shop will know, I like to do my bit for people less fortunate than myself. So in an attempt to get out of the house before the Spice Girls came on TV, I dragged my girlfriend across town to Hove Town Hall for DJ Captain Bob's annual charity fundraiser. The event wasn’t free, but with tickets starting at just £1 for under-16s, and all the money going to Children In Need, it seemed worth splashing out.
As a 34-year-old with some semblance of self respect, I decided to give the under-10’s disco a miss, and we joined the evening half way through, just in time to catch the last song from The Rylics, a three-piece rock band who have been together since 2004 - a fact which isn't noteworthy until you find out they're aged 15, 15 and 13. It wasn't so much Children In Need, as children in need of a record contract. But they were surprisingly good for their age (he says patronisingly), and it was well worth them staying up past their bedtime.
The Rylics were followed by Republic of Heaven, a band featuring Giles Duffy, the former guitarist of Thousand Yard Stare, who had a top 40 hit in the early 90s. He’s since lost his hair, but not his ability to use an overdrive pedal. They were an accomplished band.
For me, however, the highlight of the evening was the arrival of The Ben Poole Band. Unlike the headline act of the night, Floors and Walls, I hadn’t previously come across Ben Poole, but I'm telling you now, the kid is going to be a major star. And I'm never wrong about these things. After all, I saw Maroon 5 in London four-and-a-half years ago, and nobody would listen to me about them either.
Despite looking like he’d need ID to order a drink at the bar, Ben Poole plays modern blues rock to a phenomenally high standard. Quite honestly I have never seen a better guitarist in the flesh. In fact it was slightly depressing to think that at the age of 34, I've probably been playing the guitar longer than he has, and yet even if I practice for the rest of my life, I'll never be as good as he is now. I feel like jacking it all in and taking up the tuba.
But my lack of talent aside, Ben made inventive use of a wireless radio transmitter plugged into his guitar, which meant that while his bassist and drummer took to the stage, Ben could start his set from the comfort of the bar outside. He repeated the trick towards the end of the gig, wandering out of the room like the Pied Piper of Jammin’, with a bunch of teenage rats following his progress through the foyer, while everyone else wondered where the music was coming from.
Credit must go to Ben’s band too, who were excellent throughout, although the bass player looked barely old enough to get into The Rylics, which was slightly disturbing. Since when have teenagers been allowed to be so good at rock music, that's what I'd like to know. Haven't they ever heard of Playstation?
Anyway, Ben Poole may be able to sing better than I can, write his own songs, and play guitar like the reincarnation of Hendrix, but can he rap along to Floors and Walls whilst jumping up and down in a cardigan with a bunch of 14-year-olds? No, he can not. Or if he can, he didn't want to.
This was the third time I’d seen Floors & Walls live, and their album ‘What Can We Do Today’ is permanently in my CD player, so despite being twice the age of most of their other fans, I pulled my girlfriend onto the dance floor and attempted to prove that just because you’re over thirty, doesn’t mean you can’t get down and party with the kids. Just as long as you can have a nice sit down afterwards.
