This whirlwind event shook the Rose Theatre main house to its very foundations. Felix Hagan and the Family careered onto the stage to begin the chain reaction of steam punk and rock and, in seconds, audience members of every age had rushed onto the dance floor and surrendered to the thundering beat. The band performed a stream of high energy numbers with barely a pause for breath. Felix Hagen and the Family fed off the enthusiasm of the audience, interacting with them at every opportunity, even asking someone to come onstage and once or twice jumping down onto the dance floor themselves.

‘Bands of this type are usually slow burning – they need time to warm up. But this group just launched straight in!’ exclaimed a rock loving audience member after the show.

After a short interval, Tankus the Henge took to the stage to perform a set which, although different in style, easily matched their predecessor’s intensity. By the time Jaz Dalorean had growled his way through two of the bands most popular tunes, Weather and Cakewalk, almost every audience member had squashed into the Rose Theatre pit, which for one night only doubled as a dance floor. The vibration of dozens of grooving feet caused the floorboards, not used to such an assault, to quake in time with the music. Tankus the Henge don’t conform to any particular style of music, but it is precisely this singular quality which makes them such a joy to watch and listen to. Nowadays it is so rare to come across musicians who are capable of producing truly unique material, and those who can are often not fully appreciated.

‘When they really get going, it’s amazing how they connect with the audience,’ said a Tankus the Henge fan during the interval.

The atmosphere was electric, the performers providing bolt after bolt to fuel the raving celebration of steam punk and rock. It was certainly a night to remember, and judging by the number of audience members yelling ‘Another song!’ at the top of their lungs, even after the stage was cleared, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want it to end.

by Ilana Hirschberg Based on information supplied by Ilana Hirschberg.