Times like theseThe Poacher, Portishead on Fri 14th May 10
Not for the first time Out N Running hit town and hit it rather hard but leaving it wonderfully bruised with plenty of time for recovery until their next visit in October.
Bruised but not bloodied, this was another welcome assault on the ears the effects of which are helping to increase the band's reputation as a hard rocking tight and talented foursome with the ability to turn any night into a party.

Without reiterating much of what was said after their last gig at The Poacher, this band are tight, loud, have great taste and know how to make the walls vibrate with songs ranging from Killers classics, the timeless Johnny Kidd's 'Shaking all Over', Snow Patrol, Gary Moore and my favourite Foo Fighters song 'Times Like These'.

When frontman Sean sings 'I'm a one way motorway' you'd better believe it especially when he's got a juggernaut of a drummer in Steve thundering up in his rear view mirror accompanied by the competent bass playing of Chris Harvey and lead guitarist Dave Brassington ignoring the speed cameras and just getting to where they want to be going, yet never losing touch with the energetic Sean, who really should sit down occasionally. I was feeling worn out for him but you could tell that the sheer adrenalin of the performance carried him through the set. Excellent stuff and appreciated by all there.

Not a wrong choice of song all night, not a beat out of place and a night that once more proves why the band are in such demand and must be one of the busiest in the South West.

Chuck this all in the mix with a great sense of humour and nice guys to talk to and the whole package makes a welcome change to some bands who play just for money or ego, this band plays with an honest passion and a devoted appreciation for what they are playing.
Think Killers/Oasis/Bad Company/Coldplay/Guns & Roses/Green Day/Thin Lizzy/Kinks/Who and any other great band along similar lines and you will see why Out N Running deserve to be taken seriously as great performers of great songs.

If you see them advertised, cancel what you're doing and make an effort to go and see/hear them, you will not be disappointed.
Shayne, Fri 21st May 10
Reply from The Poacher: Absolutely right, I saw these guys at a venue near mine (there were about 10 people there and I had brought 4 friends with me!) but still they entertained, worked hard, and played well... especially when some plonker went and sat right in the middle of the dance floor. Mind you, there was nobody else on it!
Band on the run...The Poacher, Portishead on Fri 27th Nov 09
There's a major downside to listening to good bands and Out N Running succeeded in exposing that major flaw, namely the next day hangover. I of course blame it on the sound level, whereas reality dictates that the more good music you have to listen to, the less time you spend chatting to your mates and that time obviously gets occupied by drinking more. A bonus for the landlord obviously, damaging to the wallet but says a lot about the band who ensured the talking could wait until afterwards, a traditional time to be critical of any band.

Okay, any band that kicks off with the classic Cult's "Sanctuary" gets my vote and when they play it to perfection and with passion and energy, it gets a few bonus votes and is a sure sign that things can only go downhill from then on, I mean, how can you better that?

So off down that slippery hill we went... Yeah right, these guys don't know what downhill means, they find their ground and defend it to the hilt with a solid energetic performance that I dare anyone to knock.

Second song in and lead singer Sean downs guitar and launches into the Gary Moore Blues Classic "Walking By Myself" which flies off at a musical tangent from the opening song but gives a hint of how much the band appear to have an attitude of "yes we're here to entertain you, but along the way we're going to play some choice favourites that we love and know we can deliver". This is a fine philosophy as it ensures the band get to enjoy the night and rather than simply perform to an audience they are performing for and with that audience and that feeling comes across in bucketloads.

From there on in the classic covers pounded endlessly with precision-like delivery and a tight well honed ability that left no room for error and no time for anyone to let their minds go anywhere outside the musical maelstrom that had been unleashed.

Of course my highlight of the night wasn't what they chose to play, it was what they hadn't chosen to play, yep, no "Valerie", the non performance of which always makes my night (long story but I will never like that song, thank you for not playing it).

I think one of the outstanding facets of this band apart from a seriously solid drummer, a bass player who is probably influenced by a wide range of musical styles, a lead guitarist who has one foot in the Blues and the other in a massively tasteful musical casserole, and the aforementioned Sean who plays and sings and means it sincerely, has to be the way they don't just rely on oft covered classics but dig out a few choice modern day classics that never drop below the high standard expected and delivered. The Killers' "Mr Brightside" and Kings Of Leon's "Use Somebody" fit snugly into that domain and had most of those present singing along and dancing in appreciation at the band's great renditions of a couple of tomorrow's classics.

That actually slips us nicely into my true highlight of the evening and once more it happened to be The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done". One of the most singalong anthem inspired choruses written.

All in all, the band were faultless in both their performance and their choice of material which might explain why I will be off to watch them play again this weekend.

I often think I should start to rate the bands that play in The Poacher on some kind of scale but although they are all different in their respective ways, there are a handful who rate highly and deserve to be on a level playing field with their counterparts. Out N Running have a deserved and much welcomed position on that field and will never be short of gigs.

Another great musical night at The Poacher and all thanks must go to Mark for being selective in his choices of bands and once more that selectiveness has been to everyone's benefit.

Shayne, Fri 4th Dec 09