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Robolint/The Not Katies/Tsunami Bomb

Exeter Cavern - 3/7/04

Take into account that I was in a foul mood...

Robolint were first on and they were, well, Robolint. If it’s the first time you’ve seen them, even the second or third time, then you will almost definitely love them. The songs are fun and catchy (some are better than others though). The jokes are funny. The show is entertaining. The costumes are amusing. The problem is that they’re the same songs and the same jokes and the same costumes. People might hate me for this but Robolint are getting a bit old, they were always a novelty act, relying heavily upon the show as well as the music, but there’s only a certain amount of time you can get away with this before you need something else. They’re in serious danger of becoming ska punk’s answer to Mr Blobby, just without the number one hit. Sorry, it’s still fun, especially for newcomers, but must try harder.
6 out of 10



I like the Not Katies and yet I’m not entirely sure why. They reek of an English band copying their American influences and occasionally flirt dangerously with being pop punk by the numbers; catchy choruses, shouty bits, quieter bits, silly jumping, out of place metallic bits (although quite well done in this case) and yet they still come out of it quite well. I think the key to it all is that it might not be spectacularly inventive but it’s very well executed, the songs are good fun and catchy enough for sing alongs, the show is immensely energetic and entertaining and Rich Watkin is an enigmatic and engaging frontman. It’s hard to believe that the Not Katies aren’t destined to be much bigger than they are now simply because they have all the right ingredients, the only thing holding them back is that they’re not American and don’t know Mark Hoppus or Dexter Holland.
7 out of 10




Agent M is last to grace the stage when Tsunami Bomb come on, simply because she is the face of the band. As is unfortunately the destiny for most females fronting bands (Kim Deal & Gaye Advert couldn’t even escape it playing bass) in a male dominated (sorry, but it still is) scene she has to put up with quite a bit of attention from the males in the audience, hence the comment “Yeah, I’ve heard it all before”. Despite this slightly world weary entrance Tsunami Bomb are full of life once they move on to the music. They play quite good punk music with a slightly poppy edge and Agent M really does have a very good voice which stands out as a shining light in a genre populated with nasal whines, ranging from sweet singing to vicious yelping. The music itself isn’t all that special in my opinion, just better than average with the exception of Take The Reigns which really is something special, but then I’m not a big pop punk fan anyway. Tsunami Bomb are good, they have the audience in the palm of their hands, at their best moments they play blistering punk songs, and they are experienced enough to deal with the slavering masses. If this is your kind of music you’d be hard pressed to find many better.
7 out of 10