w.atching the w.orld unw.ind

For mine are fully fcuked.

I guess if you don't want instant tinnitus, or to have your vitals vibrated to a liquified goo, you don't stand next to the PA when the band really starts kicking off? But the alternative is to sit at the back of the pub, with your dominoes.

And. I'm. Not. Ready. For. That.

Yet.

Who's Who are a very professional, five-piece tribute band and also VERY LOUD! Yesterday they played the second night of a two-gig charity show (I never did find out what the charities were, but the collecting bucket seemed to be doing sterling [sic] service during the evening) at the Hampshire Rose, Widley, Portsmouth.

And so they gave us a chance to see the layout and audience capacity for when Bruv's band, The Reaction, play their debut gig on 14/10 (photo of flyer to be posted later - blimey, I'm posting this from my cot - it's way too early for photography).

Starting with the first of a whole session of audience requests, "Heaven and Hell," they raced through singles and album tracks which were guaranteed crowd-pleasers, even bringing on the violinist from the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, just to play out "Baba O'Reilly." Man, that fiddler's elbow was a blur.

The microphone was twirled, thrown and caught with an accuracy which deserves a place in the England cricket team. When we talked to the front-man after the show, you could tell how much of a fan of Daltrey he is. And "Townsend" - in cut-off white dungarees - windmilled like a good 'un. And yes, there was a guitar-smashing session for the finale - wisely, with a "Substitute" guitar hehehe. Well, when you're not earning the really big bucks, you have to be a little bit careful with the axes? Or is that not rock 'n roll enough?

But for me - and of course, for Bruv, the star was "Moonie", who beat the drumkit up so badly, he should have been reported to the CPS.* The b@stard was even grinning like an idiot when he was laying into the skins with a speed that Keith Himself would have appreciated. And when he did the vocals on "Bell Boy" - the inspiration for Today's Lyric - he even sounded like The Man Himself.

Hard to believe he's been gone 27 years... (almost work-safe - funny, rather than (c)rude.

I've been lucky enough to see the original Who three times - once at the Oval cricket Ground, when they headlined a charity gig for the Bangladesh famine victims, once at Knebworth and once at the Portsmouth Guildhall, when they put on a thankyou concert for the 'extras' who'd helped out in the making of Ken Russell's "Tommy - The Film."

But if you want a great evening's nostalgia - plus ears that sound like a clucking bell -Who's Who are playing the Wedgwood Rooms on Friday 9th December.

See you there?

* The Cymbal Protection Society may not actually exist.