Louise Glyde reports from the Wired gig at the Tower Arts Centre, Winchester

THERE was plenty of rock at the first Wired gig hosted by Winchester's Tower Arts Centre on Saturday.

Wired is a joint venture between the Romsey Road-based venue and The Railway Inn, at St Paul's Hill.

These monthly gigs aim to be a platform for the city's existing and emerging talent that all age groups can enjoy.

Winchester-based foursome, Three Kings, were first on the bill and warmed the audience up with a few new songs, such as Butterflies.

Three Kings performed a brilliant set of their characteristic rock tinged with jazz and funk, which finally got the crowd moving. Next up were The Alive, who were like a breath of fresh air with their adrenaline-fuelled, good old rock.

Female vocalist CJ added some sass to the proceedings and drummer Tom made an entertaining spectacle.

The Alive are definitely one of those bands you need to see live to really appreciate their vibrancy, talent and contagiousness.

However, the band most of the audience had come to see were Linchpin, an up-and- coming London-based group.

Theirs was a fast-paced rock set with plenty of energy. They were not without talent but Linchpin's sound was not unique.

They were My Chemical Romance wannabes, hence their popularity with the audience, and their commercial sound would not have been out of place on the sound track of US TV show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, for example.

The next Wired gig will be at The Tower on Saturday, September 15. Visit www.towerarts.co.uk or call 01962 867986.