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The Cellar, 09 March 2006

Okay people it’s time for a history lesson, so if you’re sitting comfortably I’ll begin. In July 2001 a tiny local band called The Rock Of Travolta played a gig in front of more than 40,000 fans in South Parks in support of local legends Radiohead. In September that year, after a gig at The Cellar I described them as “tight, original and dramatic. Sheer class. ”From there they took their time and eventually their original 2001 EP My Band’s Better Than Yours was surpassed in November 2003 with their debut album Uluru. That album prompted The BBC’s Collective to describe the band as odd, bad and “erm, quite dangerous.” I described them as a “lumbering writhing metallic worm of sound.” You take your pick.Sadly, after that it all went a bit pear-shaped with two of the founding members Phill Honey and Deadly Dave Crabtree leaving the group. Disaster! Or so it would seem. But quietly and carefully the mighty TROT regrouped. Matt Spooner, formally of South Sea Company Prospectus and local cellist Jenny Bates joined Joe, Jon and Handsome Dave and the show went on – and what a show.

So five years since I first saw them at The Cellar, are they still tight, original and dramatic? More than ever. This is a band that is in a class of its own, they have a phenomenal stage presence and an awesome sound. They produce songs like a series of unpretentious rock symphonies that mean for me they still rank among the greatest bands in Oxford today.