Sketchbeat rocks Kentish Town

Last night I went to see a great band called Sketchbeat play a gig at the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town. My girlfriend's friend's brother, Mike Spencer-Chapman, is in the middle on stage in this picture.

They formed in autumn 2005, and play regularly in London and the South East. They were touted as a potential breakthrough band by a Radio One DJ after winning the NME's national battle of the bands competition in September 2006.

The band's Myspace page explains how thanks to their 'punchy drums, funky riffs, trumpet hooks and massive stage presence, they have been likened to a blend of Queen, Muse and James Brown.'

It took a couple of songs before I realised that their lyrics are infused with more than a little irony, but once I figured that out, I loved it. It's very difficult to carry off ironic rock music successfully, but these guys are talented enough that they do it very well.

They are playing at the Metro Club on Oxford Street soon. It's well worth checking them out.

Before the gig, we went for dinner at a restaurant on Tottenham Court Road, which unwittingly led us out of the Tube into a throng of marching women.

Apparently it was International Day to End Violence Against Women yesterday, and the women were marching against rape and male violence.

I looked at the GNN website which explains some of the reasons behind the march. The issues that prompted the campaign to be launched are important ones, but despite this there's no mention of it anywhere on the BBC or Sky News websites that I could see. Apparently students protesting against top-up fees are more newsworthy.