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Photos, Live Review: One Night Only @ Princess Pavillion, Falmouth

08th October 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

These reviews always start by setting the scene outside of the venue itself. A little information to build a semblance of atmosphere for those absent from the proceedings. The air filled itself with fog as the excited chatter reached through the wind and scattered itself amongst the surrounding neighbourhoods. Y'know, that kind of thing.

To say it was a young crowd tonight would be an understatement, to say it was a mostly female crowd save the occasional boyfriend being clutched securely would also be accurate. The bar area of the Princess Pavillion lies virtually dormant, save the tables of parents, settling in for the night while their hot-pant-wearing 15-year-olds buoyantly gallop through the rooms. We doubt we need to remind you the ear-piercing capability of hundreds of teenage girls. That ringing in our ears, that 'eeeeeeeeee', That's the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone we'll never hear that frequency again. So we shall enjoy it while it lasts.

Back in a time before said scream-induced ringing, there is a band taking to the stage in the form of <em>Skint & Demoralized</em>.. There are a few of those band name amalgamations we could attribute that we journalists seem to love so. "The N-Dubz Detectives" and "Arctic's Zygotic Myncis" would be two we could choose. We're currently undecided as to whether indie/post-punk rock should feature guest performances from irony-free rappers.

Northern Ireland provides the second band of the evening. General Fiasco received a considerably warmer response from the audience and even indulged in a little audience participation. "I love YOU" one of the front-row girls yells at guitarist and backing-vocalist Enda. "No-ones ever said that to me before," he retorted. "...and I mean nobody. Thank You!". Out of the two support bands, General Fiasco certainly deserved the higher slot.

Given that fervid yelps were let out every time someone though they caught a glimpse of a One Night Only band member making their way through the various curtains covering the back-stage area, it was unlikely that their turn on the stage would be greeted by anything less than chaotic uproar. The decision of the band to play shirtless was unlikely to help either. Each word spoken into the microphone by front-man George Craig was met with a similar response. He could have said "Do you approve of the asphyxiation of bunnies?" and there would have been rapturous applause.

If one thing was apparent from the band's hour-long set, it was that they should definitely pursue a synth-led direction. When the keys took the centre-stage, the results were that of a mature, intelligent band, with more rock than a Yorkshire sweet shop. The singles were the big draw for the crowd though. After the increasingly pointless tradition of the pre-encore exit and the arm-swaying ballad came "Just For Tonight" and a response which should be used to test the effectiveness of earthquake-proofing on buildings. As the song progresses to its finish, the rear of the hall fills with the parents, now sharing knowing winks as they prepare to take their exhausted little darlings home for the night.