So, in Feb '97 I got my first taste of Incubus (along with The Urge) supporting Korn at Brixton and was promptly hooked. So, how would they fare at the smaller Astoria (which they sold out rapidly, as did the pasted on extra gig the following night) and 2 albums down the line? But before that, you know the drill. Another day, another gig, another support band.

First it was Ultraspank, then 311 pulled out, so who were we left with? Queen Adreena, that's who. 'Who?' being the operative word. Insult added to injury by the fact I didn't catch their set since I was with my mates elsewhere in London generally on the way (after numerous bevvies), but the general consensus ranged from 'They were shit' to 'Fucking terrible', so I missed what exactly? Alanis Morrisette meets Oasis from what I was told-thank fuck for that.

So, anyway, the place was rather full of people cramming into the pit, so getting there proved a bit of a hassle, but was certainly worth it. The band casually strolled on (Mike Einziger with a fetching glittery guitar and dreaded bunches), Brandon leaving a digeredoo ominously on top of the speakers, and a his drum and a glass of Coke behind him, and launched into New Skin. As did the pit, which had more people above it then in it at some points-this being true for most of the set. The bouncers were obviously REALLY happy with this arrangement...

Following an interlude by Kilmore (which happened between every track aired tonight), it got VERY bouncy with Privilege following up, with the entire venue doing perfect word-for-word renditions. Favorite Things followed, before the place was lit up with Pardon Me, another karaoke moment for all those present, although it was a tad surprising that it turned up this early in the set. With Vitamin it was time for Brandon to ditch the shirt to the shrill screams of a few girls in the crowd. Duh, this isn't a feckin' Boyzone gig, y'know. They write their own tunes and play instruments for a start...

At this point it was time for a hefty chunk of the Make Yourself opus to be aired (if you hadn't guessed by now, the entire setlist was taken from either that or S.C.I.E.N.C.E.)-The Warmth being a 'quiet' part of the set, Stellar warming it back up again, and Make Yorself getting it back onto the high energetic levels of before. Especially for Dirk Lance. Brandon also seemed to be in a rather chirpy mood, talking to the crowd between songs on several occasions.

Unfortunatly, then Deep Inside mellows it back down, although Glass is used to lift it up again, although the listing should have been slightly different for a better vibe. But who am I to criticise?

Thankfully, from here on it was an all out race to the end of the set, starting with When It Comes, surprisingly followed by Kalgone, considering it wasn't the end of the set where it would be more expected. Hang on, 'thankfully'? Bad phrasing used there. Sorry dudes!

With a dedication to the balcony who couldn't enjoy all the fun of the pit (losers!), A Certain Shade of Green bursts forth. And time for everyone to go airborne en masse. Ever tried crowdsurfing, hollering the lyrics, whilst one of the bouncers tries to get you down nuts first? Not recommended, believe me. And following that, the digeredoo finally gets used for what it does best-Redefine. This was the cue for everyone to simultaniously go competely and utterly mental. The pit created a vacuum, surfers flew in from all angles (me, again, included), and the place rang with Sing-Along-A-Incubus.

And then they were off. After an hour, no fair!!! Still, after humungous chants of 'We want more', we got some! Firstly Kilmore came on and gave us a solo set on his decks which went down rather well-the place frugging away contentedly. Then the rest came back on with 'a song we wrote when we were, like, 17 or something'-a rather jazzy number which I have no idea what it was (correction, You Will Be A Hot Dancer, according to a source of mine that happened to be there-Mental Note: listen to Enjoy Incubus more), which was 'the most heavy metal we've ever been', complete with Brandon encouraging devil horns-much the same as 3 years ago, but without encoraging the crowd to chant 'You fat bastard' as well. And that was it. Again. Still chants for more (Nebula woulda been nice), especially since it was only about 10:20-we paid up 'til 11, man! Ah well, C'est la vie.

Nearly forgot-AWESOME FUCKIN' GIG MAN!!!