I wish I got out to see live music more often, especially some of the hundreds of hopefuls which can be seen for a few pounds in countless venues across London. It reminds you that whether a band makes the big time or not is a fine, fine line which has little to do with the quality of the music, but more with what's fashionable this week.

Granted, the first band were rubbish (a homogeneous mash of Brit Indie from the last few years), but they played it well and was still ten times more entertaining than another night in front of the box.

The next two bands were altogether a different story. Beeches (fronted by a certain Mr Hayes), I had not seen since their second gig well over a year ago and was mighty impressed by how good they have got at banging out unashamedly unfashionable Pixies inspired punk rock.

Finally, Kill Electric, who I initially wrote off for looking a bit nu-electro, were cracking too. If you live in London, you can pay around £25 to get a glimpse of a big time group from behind the back of a 6ft dude with an afro (whilst dying for a piss because you've drank one £4 can of Red Stripe). Or you can go and see three or four bands (in arguably the best city in the world for live music) for a fraction of the price in a pub that sells beer in glasses. From now on I will be trying my best to do the latter.