Once again the back room at McChuill's played host to the madness engendered by unleashing Buckfest, free, upon all who dared venture across the threshold. Seven hours of some of the finest garage, rock 'n' roll and drag acts that Scotland has to offer were here in plain sight if you had the courage to only but look and listen.

Sporting highlights were still being broadcast behind them when Geek Maggot Bingo got things off to a flying start with 'Stupid Is As Stupid Does' and other numbers all delivered at high speed (and a volume that was thankfully lowered as the day progressed) & with a voice described as lie "a corpse being dragged across gravel". This is an act that reaches you in places you don't normally think about, but in a positive sense of course.

Next up came to solo performers back to back. First off was the very Joe Meekesque The Locarno Big Beat, laying down some Link Wray guitar over beats seemingly provided from a Bontempi. A string breakage in what proved to be his final number put paid to what was a very short set that was beginning to get interesting. Following on from that point came B-Side Boy, all decked out in dress, heels and a traditional Welsh woman's hat. Go figure. Beginning with what sounded like an ode to pretty active S&M his was a set of sustained wit and good humoured banter that never faltered for pace and definitely entertained.

Throughout the latter part of the day, as is unavoidable with the scene in question, cover versions were thick on the ground. 'Mongoloid', 'The Crusher', 'Monk Time', 'Mr. Pharmacist' and a bunch of others all got good treatment from the bands that made use of them. That first one featured in the set of the youngest act on the day's bill, The Phlegm (previously much enjoyed on the opening night of the first Franklin Fest back in June). Other than their upright bass not enjoying the best of sound this afternoon they were as tight as when last seen, playing with possibly a greater amount of confidence and once more showing they have great prospects.

Hosts The Bucky Rage made their appearance next in the line-up. Veterans of the scene, masters at the use of a luchador mask (or a pair of tights over the head) they embody the spirit of the Dwarves and The Mummies and deliver it with their own dollops of abuse, cheek and, above all, vibrant songwriting. Seeing them today for the first time was an experience too long in the realisation and one that deserves to be repeated at the earliest opportunity. A great example of just getting out there and doing it yourself.

Building to a close The Creeping Ivies were tonight's penultimate act. Also last seen at Franklin Fest they've undergone a change of bassist since the Summer but with no loss of energy or pace. New material featured in the set and so it's safe to say that it's business as usual from the trio and their The Witch House EP may well see a follow-up release alongside it in the coming months. Last on stage, with a nice line in blonde wigs and a suspiciously familiar looking bass player, were the excellent Kosher Pickles. Assuredly a band who need to get some more of their own material released as soon as possible, so authentic a garage sound do they produce. Backed by projections more akin to what you'd expect from a metal band and amid a slew of punchy cover versions and abuse their own 'Let's Get Pickled' and other originals had the audience bouncing around and calling for more. As free shows go you can only hope that they mostly come off as well as this one did and we heartily recommend that you make your way along to the 2016 version.

Here we are at Sound Control Manchester for the first UK tour in what feels like an age by Darwin Deez, who bring us their third offering Double Down set to be released on September 18^th through Lucky number records and we honestly couldn’t be more excited to finally see them live.

At first glance the venue doesn't appear as full as we expect, but there's still a sizeable crowd. With it being quite some time since their last UK visits you can see why some people may have lost interest, but tonight still proves they have some core fans in the city. First on the stage tonight are the quirky all girl outfit Peluche who although dogged by sound issues to start with, make a solid impact on the crowd, drifting though their alternative keyboard-driven pop songs one after another. They certainly hold some potential for the future, and sound quite unique but they must work on their stage performance and crowd interaction for the next time they're here.

With the support over it's time for Darwin Deez who comes to the stage with a strange but entertaining dance rendition of a number of old pop classics. They instantly grab our attention from the word go and before long the crowd are hooked. A few crowd-pleasing oldies get chucked in by way of 'Constellations’ and ‘You Can’t Be My Girl' before we're presented with another dance attack this time in the shape of Michael Jackson moves and beats. Next we have the new stuff, and I’m surprised to see the crowd really going for it on these new songs such as ‘Kill your Attitude’ These tracks may only have been out a few months but trust me, this crowd knows every single word.

You can see why people have stuck with Darwin over the years since there penultimate big hit ‘Radar Detector’ and the crowd goes for it more than any point in the night . My only concern for the whole set was his set closing decision to play ‘Red Shift’ a slow ballad number before the end. For me that took all the energy and sing along entertainment out of the end but still I was very impressed with the overall show. This is a band that knows how to entertain and they have the writing ability to keep their head above water for some years to come. Let’s hope they come back soon so we can admire their super pop grooves and killer showmanship again.

Buzz bands come and go like the wind, yet Man Made have been slowly rising up through the ranks. Tonight sees them opening up for guitarist Nile’s dad, the incomparable Johnny Marr but with that to one side, Man Made storm the stage with an intriguing sound. They take the best bits of a multitude of genres and combine it into an incendiary performance.

From the heavier jams to the wonderful rock 'n' roll freakouts, its like Ezra Furman if he hailed from Manchester. Their straight up sound has the entire crowd up and dancing, there’s flamboyance without being overzealous. They’re tight and filled with energy, latest single 'TV Broke My Brain' sounds phenomenal.

It’s unsurprising that the band is tipped to be huge, and tonight compounds this. They’re one of the brightest and most exciting bands that we’ve had the pleasure of capturing in some time. Johnny Marr also put on one hell of a show, but it is only a matter of time before Man Made are up there headlining.

Musos' Guide, as a rule, doesn’t usually review cover bands, however Fanny Pelmet And The Bastard Suits definitely deserve a mention. Not only because they covered some of my personal '60s favourites such as The Standells' ‘Rari’, The Eyes' ‘You’re too much’, Sharon Tandy's ‘Daughter Of The Sun’ and Shocking Blue's brilliant ‘Send Me A Postcard’ (debuted at the Franklin tonight!), but also because they are a breath of fresh air, and are helping to keep this amazing music alive.  

Fresh from their tour supporting the King Khan & BBQ Show 'down south' are Newcastle’s Ferriday Fireballs. Singer Flyin’ Brian is a bit of a legend, and latterly a member of one of the most fabulous garage bands ever - Los Coyote Men. They open with The Stooges '1970' followed by a raucous rendition of George Jones's 'White Lightnin', but it's not all covers and their very own ‘She’s A Twister’ proves to be on a par. The crowd love their hypnotising primitive beat. It's stripped to the bone rock 'n' roll at its best or worst (depending on how you see it - but let's go with best), and above all it's a FUN show. Brian encourages the crowd and bar staff to dance, and there's cheeky banter, followed by lots of stopping and starting. It all gets a bit shambolic; the Fireballs' knocking out a few random punk covers - but it’s certainly entertaining. Finishing with a cover of Bo Diddley’s ubiquitous ‘Who Do You love’; Stephanie Pelmet joins on harmonica, Andy Bastard Suit takes over guitar duties, whilst Brian goes a bit loopy ‘it’s the codeine kicking in’ he tells us... :)

Top of the bill tonight are The Reverse Cowgirls from Glasgow opening with their new single ‘Hit The Sidewalk’ which has a distinct, soulful garage groove. Their Facebook page quotes that they ‘write simple music and make it complicated’ and I can’t disagree with that, because it’s really difficult to define their sound, spanning punk/blues/country/garage and more. Possibly taking their influences from the likes of Gun Club / Cramps / Primevals; but it would be very unfair to say that they are restricted by the sum of the output of their contemporaries. They have their own unique and potent sound. They are extremely accomplished with a massive presence; "In a completely different league" a friend said. And even though there are only four of them, the Franklin almost seems too small to contain them. Frontman Hugh McLachlan is quite mesmerising. He appears to go through the full range of emotions tonight. Bassist Alaine Alison Walls is right there by his side, and they naturally complement each other, and of course not forgetting the other members of the band who make up this powerhouse. Notable moments are the fuzztastic 'Cry Cry', country style 'As God's My Witness' and 'God Bless The Queen' = a very happy crowd. We hope you come back soon.

A special mention to Jim on the decks spinning, garage gunk, glam junk, rockin' crunk and (very) daft punk!

Well done to the organisers again for another cracking night - The Black Needles and Oh! Gunquit will be playing at the next Franklin Rock 'n' Roll Club on Friday 13th November - click here for details...