In half an hour or so, I’m heading off to the Off The Tracks festival. It’s going to be my first camping festival of 2014. I don’t think it’s going to be a dry one. My wellies are packed. Wish me luck.

Before I go (I’ll try to blog over the weekend), I thought I’d write about a Leicester based band who are exciting many. Rumours abound of serious record label interest for Ash Mammal – and watching them live at the final of the Original Bands Showcase last Saturday it was easy to see why. These teenagers have something fresh and unique. 

Ash Mammal took to the stage as the second band of six and set a high bar to jump over. This is the sort of band that, when on form, are so captivating you don’t want to blink. They look the part and each member of the band knows their role. If guitarist George was in a stand up comedy duo, he’d be the foil, the straight man. He sings a bit and stands solid. Controlled and contained much like bass player Jeeves . Drummer, Anya, almost steals the show when she leaves her drums behind and takes to the front of the stage to sing. Her drumming is so clinical and so polished, a speeding, blurring, whizzing wind-up toy . You want to watch Anya but to do so would mean not watching lead singer, Cass. An exercise in punkish unpredictability, a voice that won’t be loved by everyone (there are many fools in this world) and a performance so theatrical, so full of outlandish art that it leaves your jaw in a permanent state of drop. Cass has the ability to be one of the greatest front-people this land has seen. Think Bolan, Bowie, Mercury, Rowland (Kevin), Boy George and Cocker (Jarvis) wrapped up with a bow on top and you get a feel for how good this could be. 

I’m not one for rash predictions – but I’ve seen enough about Ash Mammal to realise that the world could well be their oyster. If you’re based around these parts, I recommend seeing them before it’s too late.

Enough – my taxi is calling…

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