It was a fine night for tobacco sunburst and Gibson guitars as metal and psychedelia collided in a retro explosion at Rudyard's last night. The lineup was billed by some as a night of female fronted bands, and while the female fronted band tags is something of a phenomenon at the moment, you get the sense that it really doesn't mean much. All genres blur at the boundaries, and really, gender is not much of a genre. What is true is that while all three bands are fronted by individuals who demand attention, it's the bands part of the designation that leaps out at you. All three singers seem prone to strike a bit of a pose - which is an essential part of showmanship, but it's the supporting cast you wanted to pay attention to.

First up on the hit parade were PuraPharm, who were new to me and a welcome surprise. They play an intoxicating mélange of electronic, spacey beats and retro sounds. Tessa Kole is all gothic witchiness and vocal power, but it was Bassist Paul Adams who seems to be the true heart of the unit, setting a roiling serpentine groove and losing himself in it, while Davis jumper drizzled a psychedelic blues guitar threnody over the top. His slide work on Medicine Girl was particularly grin inducing. I know time is but a rubber band when you travel through space, but the set seemed all too short. I'll catch these guys again.