The opening band for this show was Sheffield' own Crimes of Passion. I have to admit I am totally unfamiliar with the band, having never heard or seen them before, however what they delivered tonight was a dependable, solid, heavy set. New(ish) vocalist, so I'm led to believe, Dale Radcliffe certainly has the looks & charisma any good frontman requires but the question remains are they good enough to take the next step up the ladder. The main problem seems to be that all of the songs aired here were very samey, if you've heard and liked one song then you're sure to like them all. A bit more variation and pacing though may be required somewhere down the line...

 After a short break up stepped Toby Jepson. Jepson, based on this set obviously wants to leave his Little Angels days well and truly behind him. Therein though lies the conundrum. It is the Little Angels songs in the show that garner the best reaction from the packed smaller room in Sheffield's Corporation, namely Kicking up Dust, Don't Pray for Me & Young God's.

The set relied much more on Jepson' solo output, kicking off with 'Happy Ever After', a new song, which is a brave thing to do by anyone's standards - but it worked.  Aside from the Angels' tracks highlights of the set included 'I Want Love', 'Inside Out', 'Forbidden Fruit' and Refresh Yourself'. One thing that is noticeable though is the fact that Jepson does not necessarily seem to be a natural frontman, hiding behind the mike stand and leaving lead guitarist Nick Dunne to revel in the limelight, a job he obviously enjoys - solo's came left right & centre, all very well executed.  

One thing I did like is at the end rather than go through the ritual of the band going off & the crowd cheering for them to come back out is was agreed by Jepson that this had been done & so the band went straight into the finale of 'Radical Your Lover', a great way to finish off the evening.

Jepson, frontman quibbles aside, does seem to be well at ease with himself these days and his voice has certainly not declined in stature over the years. In truth, given his history, he really should be playing in far larger places than this, but in order to accomplish that he needs to gain wider attention for his solo work, perhaps something that, since the Angels demise, has not been forthcoming.  Thankfully though the size of venue and crowd does not make any difference to him, the band or their performances based on this gig....