My final gig of 1997. I’d managed 45 days of live music over the year and seen some fantastic bands along the way. It was Friday night, a week before Christmas, and I was out for one last hurrah before 1998 beckoned. Tonight was the turn, once again, of Inkubus Sukkubus supported by reformed 80’s punk band The Screaming Dead (I’d worked with Mal, the bassist, at FAB Records a year or two before) and a band I didn’t know called Mantra.

Mantra were a Manchester based band that went on to release a couple of albums. They had formed earlier in 1997 so were pretty fresh at this point – but they were very good. I don’t think I ever saw them again, which was a shame as they really impressed me opening the evenings proceedings here.

I’d been looking forward to seeing The Screaming Dead live ever since I’d been told they had reformed. I had an old CD of theirs from when I worked with Mal, that had gotten a few listens over the last couple of years. I was not disappointted as they were excellent, and certainly didn’t seem like a band that hadn’t played together for over a decade.

Headliners Inkubus Sukkubu I’d seen a lot over the last few years. This was, in fact, the 17th time I’d seen them live, the last time only being a few weeks before in Whitby at Halloween (GIG 353). There’s not really much I can say about them that I’ve not said many times before. They are a great live act with Tony’s guitar and Candia’s vocals weaving through a host of pagan-themed songs. They were on fire here, and it was one of the best times I saw them live and a great way to wrap my calendar of gigs for 1997.