Right now it's time for...The Bad Apple Club

Friday marked the return of The Adelphi as a serious local, live music venue with the opening night of 'The Bad Apple Club', organised and hosted by Preston band The Wandering Step who, just for good measure, marked the occasion by playing only their second local gig in six months.

Over the past year, The Adelphi has inconsistently and sporadically put on live music, but with no real purpose. Now, with the advent of 'Bad Apple', Preston's indie-punk contingent can be assured of live music on the first Friday of every month. And there is no denying that the place really looks the part - the stage littered with amps and axes, a flashing backdrop and a maximum capacity of 150 turns the old upstairs into one of the best looking small music venues in the city.

Folk-rock

Supported by out of town acts Silva Surfer and Loose Cannon, whose front man looks uncannily like Razorlight's Johnny Borrell, The Wandering Step headlined the night and arrived onstage just after half ten.

The Wandering Step are traditionally a folk-rock outfit, but kicked off the evening with a heavy, punk-fuelled, buzz-cocky number before reinstating The Step of old for a set of deep south blues, akin to Kings Of Leon and touching on early Rolling Stones, one mid-set song even taking the formula of Route 66, instead naming a load of Canadian places and making them rhyme - making for a highly catchy blues rock track.

Yuletide

The Step have recently recorded a Christmas song, available to anyone who emails the band, and treated us to the yuletide spectacle, which despite the lyrics, still retained the gun slinging, bronco-bucking feel of the rest of the set.

The band clearly took a while to warm up, and may have had a case of Bad Apple blues for the first twenty minutes, as singer Dan's voice started off a little tetchy and (dare I say it) out of tune, before gradually easing into the harsh, glass paper growl of which he's capable.

Finishing on 'Feel the Force (of this band) The Wandering Step rounded off a triumphant first night at their new musical haven. The night will continue to showcase local talent and introduce out of town names and will hopefully stick it out to provide us with yet another successful local music venue.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy