The Travelling Band/ The Dirty Fakirs / Rainbow Trout @The Doghouse, The Royal Oak, Halifax

On Friday night I was in the Doghouse. Both the name of an eclectic musical night held on the first Friday of the month in Halifax; and a godsend for a writer struggling for an opening sentence.

The Royal Oak itself is a schizophrenic venue. Downstairs is karaoke hell with loudly arguing women, dodgy tattoos & the worst of the eighties on an eternal loop.  Upstairs is the Doghouse an oasis of tranquillity (but only if your idea of tranquillity involves loud & varied music).

Rainbow Trout were the first band up. A hard rocking trio from Manchester. Thankfully their hard rock was tempered with a groove. The singer/guitarist was the real star. His playing was fluid, his fingers like quicksilver. The band finished on a cover of Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Chile’. An opportunity to really embarrass themselves but they pulled it off.

Next up were the Dirty Fakirs from Hebden Bridge. This six-piece play funk & soul. The set started slowly and throughout suffered from sound issues. However as they started their third number it became obvious that there are some real tunes beyond the generic funk grooves. The stars were the backing trio of musicians – a locked in rhythm section and another talented guitarist.

Having the unenviable task of following these two bands was Manchester’s Travelling Band. This lot are a six piece featuring three interchangeable front men backed by electric guitar, bass and drums. Easily the quietest band of the night they battled the on-going sound problems and the karaoke from downstairs. It was to their credit that they overcame all this and won the crowd over. The music is a hybrid of folk, country and rock. They finished with a great grooving ‘High Five’, that reminded me of the Band, and ‘Sweet City’ which starts as soft harmony and finishes as a relentless jam.