Spartan Lifestyle arrived for their third gig at The District with a new vocalist and bass player. The singer had previously appeared at the club singing with The Real Deal and we knew that he had a good set of pipes on him and he once again delivered with the new band.

The band’s set had changed markedly since their last visit and we were treated to a number of over familiar tracks which I could have done without. Although they were performed proficiently, what had previously set the band apart from other cover bands was their unusual and quirky selection of some obscure gems . Personally I’d rather have heard them play  XTC’s “Sergeant Rock" than another version of “Alright Now”.

I don’t want to be over-critical but with the new line-up it would be a shame to see them take the easy route when they have the capacity to be so much more. I don’t know how long the new line-up has been going and maybe they needed to flesh out their set-list with a few standards but I’m hoping that we’ll see the re-introduction of some less obvious track selections when we see the band return to the club.