The Donnas LIVE!

Well at least the Gee got a taste of the heavy traffic I usually have to put up with when driving to these things. Lovely to see sweat towel bloke waiting outside the venue as we drove past.

I lost at Golf, but discovered that Peeterman Artois is absolutely deadly for me. Seriously, three pints and I was more drunk that I was at the weekend when I'd partaken in a share of about six jugs of Fosters for starters!

Anyway, onto the concert.

And may I just say...I love The Donnas. This was so much better than being Academy 2 last time around and if the turn out was a little on the poor side (and lets be honest, it was) everyone seemed determined to make up for it.

Old hits sat alongside the new album tracks with the pace never really being allowed to slow down. All four of them seemed bang on form and this has to go down as one of the most entertaining concerts of the year!

I dare say the fact I'm in love with Alison Robertson didn't hurt matters either.

Bitchin - The Donnas

Have I woken up in a Life On Mars style world or did someone take me out in a Delorean, because it's as if the 1990's never happened on Bitchin, the new album from the Donnas. It's certainly as if their last album Gold Medal never happened. Indeed this new album is released on their own label largely because Atlantic wanted to take their sound in a different direction again.

This is, for all intents and purposes, 80's hair metal spiked with a Noughties attitude...and it ROCKS!

It's not their best album (I'm partial to Turn 21 and Skintight myself) but it is the crispest and makes the best use of the big studio production that was, presumably, beyond their budget earlier in their career.

I've long ago given up on the girls making a real breakthrough, but if there was any justice the likes of Girl Talk, What Do I Have To Do and Here For The Party would make at least a small dent in the charts.

The real star of the show seems to be guitarist Alison Robertson, who's licks and riffs transform this from a decent album to a good one. It's one that Donna's fans should love, as should anyone with more than a little liking for 80's rock (and for once that's not to disparage it). It's not subtle, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.