So today is the hottest day of the year thus far, yet in Wales it's fucking raining. So, with sunglasses and double denim on, I head over the bridge into England to catch the performance from the evergreen Dan Baird, my favourite Southern state crooner, and his Homemade Sin super group made up of two parts Georgia Satellites in Keith Christopher on bass and drummer Mauro Magellan, whilst wielding the telecaster with extraordinary ease and talent is Jason and the Scorchers six string slinger Warner E. Hodges.

Arriving fashionably late with only minutes to spare, I enter the small room in Bristol's O2 which has taken on the title as the hottest, most sweatiest venue in the world; if it's a ploy to get me to drink more cider then it's working, but the heat is almost unbearable as the band amble onstage and tune up before things get going. So a laid back relaxed night it is then? Wrong, from openers 'Damn Thing To Be Done' and Georgia Satellites classic 'Open All Night' the band get into their stride trading licks and laughing and joking on stage without missing a note with Dan Baird sounding as fresh as he did all those years ago when the Georgia Satellites burst onto the scene.  
 

Playing under such greenhouse conditions for almost two hours, we were treated to a masterclass of rock 'n' roll boogie woogie from the evergreen Mr Baird and co. with amps turned up to a ear splitting 11; it almost seemed as if it should be made illegal for live music to make you feel so good or at least carry a government health warning. Standout single 'I Love You Period' preceded a great version of 'Tears Of A Clown' before an epic 'All Over But The Crying' gave way to a monster version of 'Railroad Steel'. But before we knew it Dan said adios and that we'd reached the curfew and the management had said that was it for tonight at the unrockin' hour of ten o'clock. After about five seconds the band were back on stage to play one last song and it was one from the archive as 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself' was dispatched from the sweat soaked band. Alas, there definitely was no more time to bang out another as the PA went down and the muzac came on with the house lights. So there was to be no 'Battleship Chains' this time but nobody was complaining. For less than a tenner I've seen another mighty fine gig from a mighty fine band.

They may be getting on in years but like a fine whisky they just seem to get better with age and put many bands half their age to shame. Long live  Dan Baird & Homemade Sin - the embodiment of good time rock 'n' roll. Hell Yeah!