(As published for Bournemouth Daily Echo)
BOURNEMOUTH four-piece Air Traffic returned home on Thursday night to play an intimate "secret" gig.
Eager
fans queued for two-and-a-half hours to ensure they were one of the 100
granted access to the gig. The venue's streaming system did allow some
disappointed fans to watch the gig on a screen located on the upper
floor.
Air Traffic arrived on a stage to instruments decorated
with fairy lights, and opened with album track Never Even Told Me Her
Name.
Their next number, Just Abuse Me, started with vocals and
piano from lead singer Chris Wall, before the rest of the vand added
extra body to a solid performance.
Air Traffic steamed through
the set at quite some pace - probably due to the incredible heat
experienced by the tightly packed gathering - only stopping for
guitarist Tom Pritchard to demonstrate some punky riffs akin to Rage
Against The Machine guitarist, Tom Morello.
The band went on to
play I Can't Understand, top 30 hit Shooting Star, and the ever-popular
Charlotte, before pritchard and bassist Jim Maddock abandoned their
instruments in favour of drums for the encore - an epic version of
latest single No More Running Away.
It was a treat for the lucky few to see the boys in such a personal setting before they embark on their US and European tours.
Allana Cutter