Having seen the gig advertised on the web I checked out punk veterans Bax Rafter at the Thatched House on Stockport. The band were on blistering form as they warmed up with some terrific bounce-a-long tunes. Highlights were Shot By Both Sides, I Wanna (wanna) Be Your Dog, Neat Neat Neat etc. Standing out above all these were the bands own ‘Eager to Impress’ – I was impressed! John Burgess’ powerhouse beat provided a dark backdrop for the menacing basslines of Stuart Green and startling psychedelic axework of John Nicholls. A top gig and a band highly recommended. The venue was not quite of the calibre of the band, with some lacklustre mixing from the sound engineer who presumably trained with live hippos as he obviously liked the muddy sound so much. The crowd, whilst few, were up and bouncing away well before the Pistols tribute grand finale: Anarchy and Pretty Vacant. For the encores the band were joined on stage by ageing rocker and former member, Neil Powell, who lent a wholly destructive dimension to the proceedings by flooding the stage with drink and trashing a microphone before singing one word. So if you want to ‘Get Yer Rocks Off’ go and check these guys out, they are really what being in a band and being in an audience are all about, noise, grunge, energy, musicianship and.. well, punk may be dead, but Bax Rafter just won’t let it lie down without one last pogo.