I've been following a band called SYMPTOM since seeing them at a pub venue in Bedford in 1995. Then Leicester in 96 and at the Boatrace in Cambridge in 97 when they released their debut album of ten blistering live recordings on Total/BMG and got a signed copy & T shirt I still proudly wear to this day. In 98 I'd heard they recorded a studio album in Nottingham with Charlatans & Wildhearts Producer and engineer Ric Peet, but which was shelved soon after and never released as the band split-up.

Last year SYMPTOM got back together again with a new drummer and I've been to all their gigs since May in Norfolk to November in Huntingdon 2007, which was the last time I saw them. Then they suddenly vanished. That last gig was one of my best ever live gigs of all time. They played to a venue that was only about a quarter filled, but my god, what a night to remember. They plaid to a small appreciative audience of fans, 2 of which had travelled down from Newcastle just to see them, having seen them only once before 10 years ago at The Duchess of York in Leeds when they where at Uni there.

They plaid for about 2 and 1/2 hours with a short break in the middle. They played all 10 tracks from their 1st album and several from their 2nd (unreleased), a few songs of which I'd heard before and really grown to love having secretly recorded them live at some of their previous return gigs.

They told me they were in discussion with a label about releasing the long awaited 2nd album 'I Believe In You' possibly this year. They'd also played 6 brand new songs they said where already recorded as part of their 3rd album. The new stuff sounds very different from their heady 'Foo Fighters meets Floyd' type of rock. It's more arty and Talking Heads, but with still that very much SYMPTOM sound.

I'd lost track of them this year until a few weeks ago when I heard one of their songs played on late night national radio, so I knew something was happening. I only recently found out, well check it out for yourselves and enjoy!

http://www.symptommusic.co.uk/ -