ON Saturday the Wildcats played their traditional St Patrick’s Day concert at Stockton, with Vin Garbutt opening the show and serenading the audience with a collection of traditional tunes, most of which originated on Teesside and the surrounding area. His style of playing and his distinctive voice called to mind the classics of folk and country music such as Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and John Denver. In a set lasting an hour, Garbutt interspersed the songs were anecdotes regarding the songs and humourous recollections from the artist’s life and career.

After that the Wildcats took the stage to much applause and acclamation. There was a brief speech outlining the Psst campaign, which stands for Positively Stockton-on-Tees and is a response to Channel 4's downbeat Benefits Street programme, the band took to their instruments.

Several surprises in terms of songs were sprung during the course of the night. These included a deeply moving rendition of Danny Boy and a stirring interpretation of Donald Where’s Your Troosers? An electrifying romp through I’m A Believer had every audience member rocking and swaying to the rhythm and the song A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day was a humbling and emotional experience.

The evening was brought to a close with several of the Wildcats’ most recognised tunes, by which time everyone present was physically exhausted from this tour de force of Teesside talent, but emotionally exultant.

Nathan Cornfield