Tonight’s gig was somewhat of a eleventh hour decision on whether to go or not, but my mind was made up when I found out that Irish rockers Glyder had been given tonights gig plus other support slots.

Glyder are a band who both I and our illustrious editor have wanted to check out live ever since we first got hold of their self titled debut album earlier this year.

The band walked on to the stage almost unnoticed, but this was soon turned around as the band got things under way with ‘Colour Of Money’.  As all eyes turned to the stage to see this four piece got the night underway with some bass ridden hard rock of the highest caliber.

They kept the tempo going with another track taken off the debut album ‘She’s Got It’, before giving us a sample of some new material with the thumping guitar fuelled ‘Over And Over’.

Then it was time to slow things down a touch as the band returned to the album for ’Stargazer’.

The band have often been associated with a Thin Lizzy sound, but the band are so much more than that, although having said that the next song ‘Neutral Coloured Life’ is the closest thing I think to a Thin Lizzy track on the entire album.

Next it was time for something new again as they guys went into ‘Sweets’ before giving thanks to those who voted for band in the competition, that saw the band winning the three support slots.  Thanks also went out to all at the Thin Lizzy forum for their support and the band did the name of Phil Lynott proud as the gave a storming version of the classic Lizzy track ‘Cowboy Song’, which also got a few of the urban cowboys in the crowd excited as the gave out a great "Yee Haa!!!" as the song was announced.

After much applause from the audience it was time for some more of the bands own material.  The band launched into the up tempo rocker and truly showed their worth with one of my favourite tracks off the album ‘PUP’, which stands for Pretty Useless People and is about the spate of reality TV on the box at the minute.

The band finished of an excellent set with another great track ‘Die or Dance’.  This was well worth the entrance fee alone and I would have gladly walked away there and then.

Glyder are a band that I’m sure won many new fans tonight and I for one can't wait to see them again on these shores in the not to distant future.   

Now for Thunder, as I said at the beginning Thunder are far from being one of my favourite bands.  I have only seen them live maybe twice in total and one of those was in 2002 at the Monsters of Rock show at the then Telewest Arena.

But as the lights went down tonight all this was about to change, there was a definite buzz around the venue as the bands diehard fans just exploded into a sea of activity as the band opened up the set with, would you believe it, ‘Back Street Symphony’!  Instantly a party atmosphere was unleashed by the very enthusiastic crowd who clapped, danced and sang along to every word from the off.

The party was kept in full swing as Danny and the rest of the band went into ‘Dirty Dream’, the first of many from the bands new 'Robert Johnson’s Tombstone' album.

Tonight was totally wired as things reached fever pitch into only the third song, as the band carried on with the new material with ‘What A Beautiful Day’ and eventually slowed things down a touch with ‘A Million Faces’.

To say the next song was an obvious crowd favourite is an understatement, as the band nearly took the roof off as Danny announced ‘Laughing On Judgement Day’.

Then it was back to 'Back Street' for ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ before returning to the new album with the title track ‘Robert Johnson’s Tombstone’ and ‘My Hour of Darkness’.  With just a break in between the new stuff for ‘River Of Pain’, before returning to the new stuff with the totally rocking ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’.

The new material was good, it was the classic Thunder stuff that really got the crowd going.  The band brought out the big guns with the ballad ‘Love Walked In’ and things simply reached another level with this one.  The tempo was then picked up again as the sing-a-longs continued with ‘I Love You More Than Rock n Roll’, before the band left the stage for the first time.

It wasn’t long before the band returned to the stage to rapturous applause.  Next it was time for a female member of the audience to get her own big guns out as she threw a rather large bra on stage half way through ‘You Can't Keep A Good Man Down’.  I say large, I thought the curtains had come down!  It was so big!!  But in fact the bra happened to be size HJ as Harry James wore it as a hat for the rest of the song.

Soon it was time for said James to step out from behind the drum kit and he walked stage left to take up the acoustic guitar to chants of ... "HARRY!, HARRY!" ... as the band slowed things down once more with ‘A Better Man’.

The band finished off the set as the began with something off the Back St album ‘Dirty Love’, which gave Harry James the opportunity to show off his collection of wigs between drum slots.  This rounded off a great party night of classic no nonsense rock n roll, which now see 'Funder', oh sorry Thunder!, in a completely new light.