The town of Farnborough in Hampshire, United Kingdom, does not have the best of reputations as a nightspot. While teenagers the world over seem to complain of not having places to go, in Farnborough this is especially true. However, there is a new Christian organization that is working to fill that entertainment void while, at the same time, presenting the Gospel in a nonthreatening way. Catalyst Productions, set up by members of the band If Only and some other local people, is promoting concerts in Farnborough with an evangelistic bent. I attended the first concert they promoted, which featured the bands Rest Assured, If Only, and NSC. The concert took place in a church hall which was fitted up for the evening with lights, a PA system, and a large Catalyst banner which had been created that same afternoon. At seven o'clock the hall started to fill up, and while not as many people turned up as had bought tickets, there was a respectable crowd of around 80 people present when the music began. The first band on was called Rest Assured, although they have to change their name because of a previously-existing Rest Assured. Their music is fairly light rock with lots of bluesy guitar and the odd hint of country in the vocal harmonies. The band was not bad considering it was only their second concert ever, and the lead singer/lead guitarist seemed very natural in his position, in addition to being the best musician, technically. Musically, the songs were fairly derivative, and the band certainly needs to continue working on songwriting, but it was a promising start. Rest Assured was followed by If Only, a definite favourite with many of those in attendance. If Only's live show is heavier than their album, It's All Gone Very Orange, and reflects the band's growing confidence in concert. It was good to hear a new song amongst the set of If Only standards and covers of the Cranberries' "Zombie" and Blur's "Song 2." Musically, If Only was the darkest band of the evening, but also the most distinctive with a strong emphasis on the bass-playing of Maff Gaylard, and Sam Hargreaves' chorused, distorted and wah-ed guitar. A few vocals were a tad off, and a few introductions were a bit confused, but I look forward to seeing If Only on much larger stages. NSC was the headline band, having travelled up from the southwest of England for the day. Despite the fact that only a handful of us were at all familiar with them, they won over the crowd who had been warmed up by If Only. Musically, they fit into the 'alternative rock' crowd with ease, and could be described as surf-rock, having been influenced by Dakota Motor Company. The band was without their lead guitarist, Triggs, and this left some songs feeling slightly empty, but most of the time second guitarist Ashley Taylor filled the gaps well, even if one of the solos came off a little awkwardly. This band also played a couple of covers, Skunk Anansie's "Hedonism" and the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go." The show obviously couldn't compare with many big-budget tours, but it was good entertainment and the bands communicated the gospel without being too pushy. I believe that, given the right breaks, either of the second two bands could be excellent live acts, and, given time, Rest Assured may be able to rise to that honor as well. 

By James Stewart