Anyone who has seen Otway over the past couple of years will probably also have witnessed the demi-waved guitarist, Richard Holgarth. Richard is both a member of the Big Band, and also often serves as Otway's guitarist for non Big Band dates. Richard also has another feather in his cap, however - he is a founder member of the heavy metal band "We-Evil".

This fact has been alluded to at many Otway gigs, with members of the Big Band, and even Otway himself chanting "Weeeeviiiil! Weeeeviiiil!" whilst making the requisite "We-Evil salute". Consequently, given the opportunity to see We-Evil in action over Easter, I could not resist and found myself in the Half Moon in Putney (where I've seen the Big Band a couple of times in the past) on the 10th April, 1996, watching their support act - a chap going by the name of "John Otway" apparently.

Otway's performance was superb - if you like Otway solo, that is. He perfomed a number of his old standards, as well as a couple of his newer songs, including "Poetry & Jazz" which is my personal favourite from the "Premature Adulation" album. Despite being present, Richard did not play guitar for Otway, since he was allegedly "Filling his soul with the spirit of Lemmy" - not to be confused with "Filling his soul with the spirit of Jack Daniels" which apparently has a similar ritual.

Eventually it was time for We-Evil to take to the stage. First their roadies, wearing tour badges the size of Sheffield, prepared the stage for their imminent arrival. Mics were adjusted, stands were stood, and guitars were detuned especially for the occasion. Finally, to rapturous applause and the obligitary salutes and We-Evil chants, the band took to the stage.

We-Evil, it transpires, is a four piece consisting of drums, bass, lead and rhythm guitars. Richard was, unsurprisingly, lead guitarist, and part-time singer, along with the rhythm guitarist - a bandana'd bloke going by the name of "Mutant Deth" (although I suspect that was a pseudonym). Similarly the bassist insisted on being known as "Slasher" and the drummer revelled in the name "Madman Battery".

They began with a heavy metal version of "Tie A Yellow Ribbon", though this was just a joke, and was soon abandoned in favour of "Drown" (any song names mentioned here are pure speculation, based on the lyrics), which really is a tremendously excellent piece of music. This was followed by another fine piece, which I heard performed by the Big Band once at a concert in Tring. I don't know its name, but it was introduced then as being "a song about how married happy people are". Nevertheless, with songs of this quality, We-Evil should really be recording their stuff.

The rest of the gig consisted of a number of heavy metal, head bangingly noisey songs, as well as a punk song that Richard had recorded in his youth, and which had allegedly made it to number four in the (independent) charts. They finished with Otway's own "heavy metal number", the Bachman Turner Overdrive standard, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" - during which Otway was invited onto stage to join in.

My overall impressions were that if We-Evil could manage a few more songs like the first two, I would happily go to see them again, and buy any album they might release. Otherwise it was a bit of a mish-mash, but still well worth going to see if you like Otway's Big Band stuff, or violently brain numbing heavy metal. Or both.