The Twang - gig review

Hordes of frost-bitten revellers pressed against the glass doors of the 3sixty bar at Reading University felt the party spirit drain from them along with their core body heat, writes Glenn Mitchell.

Ejected from the campus bar thanks to a fire alarm being triggered, a night out to see The Twang perform turned into a scene from a George A Romero flick.

Turfed out just before the Brummie band took to the stage, it was an hour-long wait in sub zero temperatures before the doors were reopened.

Some had long since fled into the night but most marauded glassy-eyed around the building, grunting to communicate in the biting cold.

But after what felt like an eternity, the balloon went up and people raced back into the warmth of the bar.

Minutes later, The Twang burst onto stage.

Racing through tune after tune from Love It When I Feel Like This, the infectious baggy-trousered vibe of the Midlands boys spread through the venue.

Frontman Phil Etheridge, a shoe-in for best Eastenders' Max Branning lookalike 2008, worked the crowd and basked in the roar of approval to anthems Push the Ghosts and Either Way.

Was it worth the wait? Definitely.