We arrived in Sherringham to find the streets seemingly packed with teenage girls. At first, we wondered what a small community could possibly offer the younger generation to draw them in like this, but as we weaved our way through the crowds it became obvious - they were all there to see the Serious Hat Band. In fact, members of the band were outside the theatre when we arrived, chatting to passers by and enticing them into the theatre.

The Serious Hat Band know how to seriously entertain. We are all used to bands who march on stage to the latest sound and scream loudly for a couple of hours before vanishing back from whence they came - but this group have injected a certain amount of comedy into their act which not only puts across a feeling of professionalism but also makes it clear that they care about the impression the audience comes away with.

The gig started with a guy appearing on stage for no adequately explored reason with a billboard announcing the show. The band then leapt onto the stage and gave us a stonking rendition of Robbie Williams "Let me entertain you" which really drew the audience in as everybody recognised what they were listening to. Half way through the show, Baggy produces a Gillette razor and a cup of water and proceeds to shave on the stage - he claims that somebody told him his dress wasn't smooth enough and that he should at least shave. That's the kind of act they are!

The bands own tunes are well put together and enjoyable to listen to - so they clearly aren't any kind of covers band. Throughout the evening they interspersed their own music with tunes by Ricky Martin, Duran Duran and Right Said Fred, and the combination really had the audience dancing in their seats. I can't praise The Serious Hat Band highly enough - perhaps it is the influence of running a comedy club, but this is a group of solid all round entertainers who know how to pack the crowds in and never let them go.

Keyboard player for the night was one of the ex-session players from "Top of the Pops", who bore a striking resemblance to Boy George, in dress as well as looks - a point which didn't go un-commented on by the band. At the end of the show the drummer suddenly leapt from behind his drum kit, showing a startling fetish for fishnets and the band launched into The Time Warp from the one and only Rocky Horror Picture Show.

KlubKat spoke to some of the punters afterwards, and the general feeling was that we had all been to see a huge band rather than a "local" one. We quickly caught up with the boys and put a few of the usual questions their way:

KK: Hi Guys. So, the important question - who's who?
SHB: Ed is on lead vocals, guitar and Sax; Barry 'Baggy Trousers' Trout does the bass and some more vocals; Michael McCabe takes care of the drums and Little Chris Young has keyboards. Michael and Chris also do the backing vocals.
KK: How long have you been together?
SHB: 6 years. We are a stable band, but we have been in this line up for the last 18 months.
KK: How did you get started?
SHB: Ed had put an ad in the loo of a pub saying he wanted a drummer. Then Ed wandered into the job center by accident and bumped into Baggy who said that he was good looking. Make what you will from that!!!
KK: What are your plans for the future?
SHB: We're recording a new album in the autumn, but the comedy club takes up a lot of our time. We try and hang out with comedians as much as we can rather than musicians.
KK: Where do you play?
SHB: Blackpool, the North, on the Continent and down south. Everywhere really.
KK: How would you describe your music?
SHB: Rough tough and working class with flowers growing out of your arse.
KK: I think the influence of your comedy club in London has worn off a little on your act. Was this intentional?
SHB: It has rubbed off a little bit. We like to laugh and don't take ourselves too seriously.

The Serious Hat Band claim to have the youngest fan - Little Alice Nevard went to see the band aged three weeks (I expect she took her parents) and has been a grizzled fan ever since. That's as opposed to a grizzling fan, I suppose!

A couple of weeks after going to this gig, I was at the pub with a few mates who I hadn't seen for a while. In conversation, I happened to mention that I had recently been to see a great act called "The Serious Hat Band." At this, one of my friends opened his jacket to reveal that he was wearing a Hat Band Tee-Shirt - something that I can promise is not easy to get hold of short of jumping up on stage and singing "Waltzing Mathilda" while hanging upside down with your head in a bucket of spaghetti and being beaten around the arse with a wet herring...

So it would appear that more and more people are starting to hear of this fantastic act - and about time too. Hunt them down to their next gig and go along - you won't regret it anytime soon!