Back to Tramlines with a very sore head for another day of top music,laughs & surprises.I wasn't sure what to expect but knew after Saturday that it would be very good.went first to Melt to watch a young band that I'd heard a lot about called The Rusbies.i knew the legendary Twisted Wheel man Jonny Brown was a fan & wasn't surprised to see him there waiting to watch the band.there were a number of local musicians there including Kieran Crook from The Sherlocks.Nathan,Jake & Tom looked ready to give everyone a great show but although they started off well the sound wasn't particularly good,with Nathan's mike packing in altogether after a while.The lads then had no option but to end their set early,leaving everyone a bit disappointed,but more on The Rusbies later.I then had a tricky decision to make between going to watch The Struts,who everybody seems to be raving about at the moment or nipping to Rocking Chair to see young Barnsley singer Lauren Tate,whose set had been put back a bit.I have been following this talented young lady's career for a while so I thought why not.i can always see The Struts later ( I was told after that they were fucking amazing by the way).so down the stairs to a room so dark I didn't know how many people were actually there until the lights came on after.minimal stage lighting with just Lauren and a guitarist perched on stools.she really looks the part with bright green hair,heavy make-up and punky clothes,but when she sings you are instantly mesmerized.Her voice is beautiful.Powerful,gravelly & rich with the power to move you in ways you wouldn't think possible.she did a version of Sam Brown's 'Stop' that brought a tear to my eye,such was it's emotional charge.Lauren also writes her own material now and I would recommend you look her up online & buy her new e.p. which was recently released.you will have to go a long way to find someone with more raw talent and ability than this lady.A sure star of the future.after catching my breath I made my way back up to Crystal where Leeds band 'City of Lights' were playing.they were loud and heavy and well received by the crowds of happy punters.they played a storming set and were bouncing around the stage energetically,especially the frontman who had a real prescence.Next on here were 'The Dunwells' who came highly recommended but I'd never caught them live before.What a joy they were.they just grabbed the crowd by the balls and held on tightly.brilliant songs,party like atmosphere and just a treat to be involved.will definitely catch these guys again soon.was wondering who to watch next when I got word of a secret gig back down at Rocking Chair featuring The Rusbies and a certain Mr. Jonny Brown.i was down there in a flash and it looked like word had got round as there were quite a lot of very excited people milling around.there was a massive buzz surrounding the place as we all headed downstairs.first on The Rusbies who seemed to have forgotten the debacle of earlier as they played with a passion and energy far beyond their years.these guys have not been together long but you wouldn't know it.Indie with a (post) punk flavour,they really play some blinding stuff.Self penned tracks like 'none the wiser','is this what my life's about' and 'shrunken heads' had the crowd rocking.even spotted JB bopping along to the beat.if you want to see what the fuss is all about,get down to the plug on august 22nd for their headline show.ones to watch for sure.Then came a massive roar as Jonny Brown took to the stage for what must have been a very hastily arranged little set.he borrowed guitars from the lads and ran through a few Twisted Wheel classics that the crowd requested.'Big Issue',the brilliant 'Strife',which was sung back to him word for word by everyone there.Even at times forgetting the words during 'Who stole the sun',it hardly mattered because everybody else knew them.he seemed to be enjoying it as much as the fans and it will surely go down as one of those 'I was there' moments.A truly perfect end to a magnificent couple of days.Hurry up Tramlines 2015,I'm waiting.madferret