After missing a couple of other Christmas gigs for a few reasons I headed out to the last of the bigger ones on the weekend before the big day as ska band The Honest Crooks took over The Fermain Tavern for their festive bash.

It was my first time heading into the Tavern in quite some time as, since new management and ownership, it seems to have a slightly different outlook on its support of new music but I remain hopeful that’s just a bit of blip and as there’s another show to round off the year next weekend it currently looks that way.

Anyway, onto the music and things began with Dan Guilbert, more usually seen fronting Rentoclean but here playing a solo acoustic set.

In a change from the expected extended reggae influenced jams, Dan played through a set that spanned country, rock and blues covers and a bit of reggae too.

It was one of the more focussed performances I’ve seen Dan give and he played in such a way to make it look easy.

The first highlight of the set was his take on Tina Turner’s Nut Bush City Limits and as it went more came with Just Dropped In from Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, blues classic St James Infirmary Blues and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary which rounded off the set to a great reception.

As it was their party The Honest Crooks took the opportunity to play two sets going through most of their repertoire of original songs and covers from the likes of Sublime, Reel Big Fish and Gentlemen’s Dub Club.

From the off the band drew the audience onto the dance floor and they got more involved as the night went on, and with the Crooks in particularly relaxed mode there was joking and fun between the stage and the dance floor throughout.

While some of the covers got a great reaction, it was particularly good to hear that many of the band’s own songs were received as warmly with many singing as well as skanking along to both.

With a shoe-y (the unique notion of drinking a pint from a shoe) for frontman Raddy bringing the first half of the band’s performance to a close it was no surprise that as The Honest Crooks returned to the stage in somewhat looser form, but of course even more up for fun, as were the audience making for a great second set.

Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds got a great singalong going and their own Stay Near fought off the cold and wet winter outside to bring a real feeling of summer back to the evening before their livened up take on The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York brought the one explicitly Christmassy moment (musically at least, Raddy’s glasses and Cheese’s reindeer pyjamas added a unique festive twist) and a real high point.

They then closed the set with their own Here We Go Again rounding off in a big rock ‘n’ roll ending.

It wasn’t long before they were called back though and we got the always crowd pleasing closer, Sublime’s less than PC Date Rape.

This brought the night to a close on a high adding a summery feeling to a winter night while, for my mind, being the best kind of Christmas party as the overt festivities were fairly minimal.