The first flakes of this winter's snow are falling past my window, flicking the Vs at me, so it can mean only one thing; the annual pilgrimage to see an Xmas gig by Ginger, in some form or another, is upon us.

Thankfully, the snow amounts to nothing (unlike last year's whiteout debacle which saw an eleventh hour death or glory travel decision prove to be the right one) so The Fleece in Bristol is graced with a severe Uber Rock presence.

The choice of support band selected for this latest Ginger & Friends tour may go some way towards representing the current mindset of the Wildhearts mainman, residing on the decidedly noisier side of the sound scale. Welsh three-piece Exit International open the show and almost steal it: this guitar-free outfit are hotly-tipped for one reason and one reason only - they are excellent. With the duo of disaster basses rattling everything in the venue, from light fittings to teeth, making (no pun intended) your heart beat outta your chest, E_I throw out reasons as to why they could be the next Welsh band to break out big like Roberto Duran threw out hurting bombs. The Eighties Matchbox quirkiness to their sound gifts them much desired genre hopping capabilities and in vocalist Scott Lee Andrews, more and more confident as a frontman with every appearance, they have a real star in the making. The songs, like the great 'Bowie's Ghost' and 'Chainsaw Song', aren't too shabby either, shaking the foundations with low end and high quality. Brace yourself for Exit International to explode in 2012.

Quite a lot has changed since the last time I saw Hawk Eyes live, mainly in the moniker department. The old Chickenhawk name might have been consigned to the military junkyard but, happily, the noise dished out by this Leeds-based, eight-legged cranium-crushing collective remains the same. Migraine-inducing heaviness collides with a technical edge in a Helmet-esque aural attack on the senses. Opener 'NASA Vs. ESA', from the recommended 'Modern Bodies' album, sets the tone perfectly: dark, edgy and a little bit awesome. In fact, that album has fused itself to my sci-fi hi-fi since this performance and refuses to be shifted. Frontman Paul Astick disappears into the crowd for his customary punter-powered end to the set and all is good in the world, well, the venue at least......for now, anyway.

I don't think it would be unreasonable to suggest that Ginger's set at the Hard Rock Hell festival fell a little flat. It's a tough room, I kept telling myself, remembering how Olive and Arthur struggled in the very same venue when doing their ballroom dancing some 38 years previously. For me, the fact that the set was rushed through due to time constraints, meaning that the crowd got none of the usual banter that, on the great days, is stand up-like in quality, was the biggest disappointment. How great was this night going to be then when, early in the show, Ginger is extolling the virtues of cheap supermarket wine and reminiscing about great times in Bristol...and bad ones too: a memory of an acoustic gig meltdown bringing with it cringed shudders of shows gone bad. Bad shows from the current tour are named and shamed too: Swansea isn't going to see the band return in a hurry and "Nothing you lot could do, not even if one of you pulled a gun, could make Bristol worse than Norwich last night," explains Ginger in the second of a couple of statements that will hang around the show like David Carradine's corpse.

A sneaky look at the setlist that sits right in front of me informs that this is going to be a longer version of the HRH set with 'Inglorious', from the classic 'Fishing For Luckies' release (twice!), opening. What is obvious from the start is that the addition of Eureka Machines frontman Chris Catalyst on guitar and Victoria Liedtke on backing vocals has energised the band: oh yeah, and the appearance of the Suicide Twins, Nasty Suicide and Andy McCoy, at the Helsinki date that dissected this UK tour might have had something to do with it too. With a four man, one woman frontline what becomes clear immediately is that Ginger seems to be happy to be out of the spotlight a little, Jon Poole instead taking the centre stage microphone. But, with Catalyst and Rich Jones bouncing around with shit-eating grins on their faces, the set opening offers way more than it did in Prestatyn Rock....err...Holiday Village.

'The Hard Way' is the first of four tunes from 2007's self titled Wildhearts album that is, perhaps surprisingly, the long player from the WH back catalogue most pilfered for this set; 'Slaughtered Authors', 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' and 'Inner City Overture' will follow. 'Suckerpunch' slays, as always, with drummer Denzil, although fucking up in impressive fashion due to his lack of monitor, tearing his kit a new one, before 'Splattermania' - the shining light of the HRH set for this old gorehound - again taking me back and doing it in some style.

'Mazel Tov Cocktail' from 'Chutzpah!' is great and all seems well. Then Ginger takes umbrage with some of the crowd who appear to be happy, or dissatisfied enough, to simply stand and watch without even clapping between songs. His words, more a mixture of exasperation and world weariness than rant to be honest, question just what it takes to get people out to gigs and enjoying themselves in these troubled times, his Red Hot Chili Peppers shout-out inspired. While descending into a mood that he will not get out of before the show's close, Ginger leads the band through an incendiary 'Vanilla Radio', no doubt fired up by the indifference of the ignorant.

Legendary B-side 'Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong' is a more than welcome addition to the set and closer 'Cheers' doesn't just fuse the themes from both Cheers and Taxi, but also adds the timeless 'Anyone Can Fall In Love' theme from Eastenders to its close. Good times.

'Don't Worry 'Bout Me' is, as always, sung by the crowd as they wait for the band to return. And sung. And sung. As they wait. And they wait. The length of time that elapses before the band return, body language experts nodding in silent realisation, tells a tale of something being awry. "It's okay," says Ginger upon his return, "everyone's allowed to get down," and the band plough into 'Vernix' from 'Chutzpah Jr'. 'Something Weird (Going On In My Head)' follows and, like its splattered brethren earlier in the set, is worth the entrance fee alone. As is '29 X The Pain', like that was ever in doubt. A couple of guys from the inner sanctum of the tour appear on the stage, air guitaring and stage diving and everyone appears happy, then, as final song 'I Wanna Go Where The People Go' begins, a punter finds his way to the stage, a small stage already crammed with bouncing musicians it has to be said, and proceeds to take out cymbal stands and Ginger's amp with his big stupid feet. Ginger, mist, you'd guess, already risen to dangerous levels, stops the show, berates the stage invading idiot (who, let's be honest, has got himself caught up in the good time atmosphere that threatened to rule at one point and seen others dive from the stage) and, with no place left to go but off stage, aims a tasty headbutt at his microphone sending its stand crashing and its once careful owner quickly motorheaded for a dressing room.

....and that's that. The band take the applause as they make their way from the stage amid crowd murmurs of someone going maybe a little too far.

At Hard Rock Hell Ginger said from the stage that playing live bored him and, again, in Bristol he stated that he would be taking a lengthy break from playing. While his current mood might well have sent a touch of fear around the room(s) everyone with a passion for the man's music - and they are legion - will hope that it is simply temporary because, well, you know how down we get when our friends aren't around......