Punk rock mentalists by day, and respected mariachi by night, the light and shade, good vs. evil story behind how this troop of Los Angeles renegades came into existence is pretty well documented elsewhere on Uber Rock, but suffice to say - however many times you read that tale it still reads like a comic book strip that most people would probably laugh out of existence.  Punks playing mariachi music, doing it with feeling and respect and selling out shows in the process!!!  Yeah right.

When you then consider the fact that tonight is both night 10 on a straight 29 day run, and that you really couldn't squeeze another Burrito eating music fan into this place if you wanted to, you start to get the feeling this isn't quite as crazy an idea as it might look on paper. The people love Mariachi El Bronx and they love us.

Up first though, following a rather refreshing airing of The Poises 'Fronting On The Beating' album on the PA was Tim Kasher. Tim's a singer songwriter from Nebraska and the former frontman of bands such as Cursive and The Good Life.  With a few hardcore fans dotted around the lip of the stage, his solo storyteller type acoustic set immediately worked well with the more mature 'listening' audience and I swear at times during some of the quieter moments, you could actually hear a pin drop, which in a venue as intimate as this one is never going to be easy feat especially when armed only with an acoustic guitar and the power of song.

Sound tracking what appeared to be largely semi autobiographical life experiences with a subtle twist of Americana, tracks like 'Cold Love' and 'The Jessica' won huge rounds of applause from those assembled and in spite of his fiscal provision to play only a 40 minute set you got the feeling he could have played all night and no one would have complained, but with the sounds of trumpets emanating from the downstairs dressing room we were all suddenly given a prompt reminder of what was coming next.

Mariachi El Bronx have certainly come a long way in the four years since singer Matt Caughthran and his merry band of punk rockers The Bronx first unveiled their desire to record and release an album of mariachi music.  The project becoming so successful in the intervening years that they can now headline venues such as this in support of their recently released self titled second album, and bringing their lust for life and passion for music to a whole new audience in turn.  One quick look around me tonight and I'd say that probably about 70% of the people I'm sharing the Ifor Bach's flu infected air with would think that 'Transsexual Blackout' is something they could look forward to on a weekend and not actually a song title by a band called The Bronx.  However Matt and his band of desperados are hardly complaining, as this gathering of lost souls is not about The Bronx, this is about a band expressing themselves as only Mariachi El Bronx can, and nevermind how much I'd love to see the dancing punk rock teddy bear launch himself into the front rows it's simply not going to happen as this is not so much music made in hell as music made in El Paso.

Opening with '48 Roses' from the band's second album this is music for lovers not fighters and what's more Matt is consuming WATER between songs!!!!! Perhaps it's the absence of his long-term partner in crime Joby J Ford away on parental leave or perhaps it's just that Matt doesn't need the chemical stimulation playing this type of music?  Whatever it is he's certainly never sounded vocally stronger or his band quite as soulful as they do grooving their way through tracks such as 'Litigation', 'Silver or Lead', 'Fallen' and the track that started it all 'Cell Mates'.

Dedicating 'Slave Labour' to everyone who hates their day jobs before regaling his own tale of woe regarding time spent working at a food stall in an American theme park, Matt is as ever the compelling raconteur.  Whilst finishing with the polka punk of 'Clown Powder' he is also quick to thank those in attendance sporting T-shirts representing his day job band for suffering his musical indulgences, promising to be back in The Bronx saddle very soon.

However with those closing words still fresh in my mind my only fear right now is that with this project's continued popularity Matt and his gang could very soon be in a similar position as Soulwax found themselves with 2manydjs. Then again they could also get the house band role in a sequel to 'Rango' should one ever be filmed.