It’s not easy to get the balance right on a Friday night. Maybe that’s why a lot of bands stick to weekday gigs. But the Dub Fossils didn’t need to worry about it. They played a tight and forceful gig, just the right mix of groove and smash for the pre-clubbing Friday night.

The Fossils have a knack for lineups too, which definitely helps. Rather than getting under-rehearsed and little-known bands to support them, they swing high and somehow get bands that could really headline their own shows. On Friday they were joined by Kings Mews and Body Talk – this programming ensured that anyone who turned up early didn’t have to stand bored at the bar, but could get straight down to dancing and enjoy a whole night of quality music.

It was actually hard to see how the Dub Fossils could follow their opening act: Kings Mews were sounding huge, with eight members including a full four-piece brass section. Each member was intensely skilful although the audio quality in The Albert could make them sound a bit crowded – still, their pop-infused and elastic reggae was so likeable, and so tinged with funk in all the right places, that it really didn’t matter, and they acted as a magnet for the dance floor.

They were followed by another very strong act, three-piece funk band Body Talk. They’re practically unknown, but their bass-driven, downright dirty sound proved to be another winner. They made a lot more noise than a three member band should be able to, and by the time they were done the crowd were more than ready for the headline act.

So the Dub Fossils took to the stage and threw volume control out the window straight away with the opener, ‘Paul’s Song’. It’s always striking to hear their name and then see them play: there’s only a smidge of dub involved. If anything they’re a heavy rock band with some reggae influences, such is the level of distortion on the guitars and the use of rhythm stabs by the drummer. They may have a fairly heavy instrument sound but front-man Ollie Barber keeps it light, sharing vocals with screamer Bea Chappell and keeping the band’s sound middle of the road, where everyone can enjoy it.

Last time Dub Fossils played, they had a big sound – but it turns out they were down a guitarist, and hearing the complete band this time made a big difference. He gave a lot of wailing guitar lines that really made the band as a whole feel full, and injected that something which had been missing from their last gig. With him there it all seemed to have more direction and make more sense as a combination of genres.

Anyway the Fossils played like hell, managing to match their admirable supports and more, pleasing the rockers and the dancers. They played heavy but with that reggae bounce that gets a crowd moving. Their rendition of ‘Reggae Ambassador’ towards the end of their set went down a storm, as did some serious wailing from backing vocalist Chappell. Hopefully this band will be playing a lot in the coming months, because last Friday they done good.
Ben Noble