Blue Oyster Cult, The Brook, Southampton

THE Brook was heaving and I was sweating as I experienced the curious charms of veteran American rock band Blue Oyster Cult for the first time.

Being a BOC virgin did not stop me enjoying the overall sound, which was a heavy blend of progressive rock with a helping of psychedelia, blues and classical influences. The lyrics, as in The Vigil - all about waiting for aliens to rescue us - were often sinister and occult. OD'd on Life Itself needed no explanation - a storming ode to hedonism full of great riffs.

Don't Fear The Reaper got the expected cheers, but generally speaking everything the band did was rapturously received right up to the encores, which included an untypical BOC version of The Animals' classic We Gotta Get Outta This Place.