Uniting the Elements, The Queens Hall, Narberth, April 29th

It is always exciting and encouraging to see a different style of music being brought to the area and tonight's gig at the Queens Hall was a well attended and well organised affair, with stupendous lighting, a great atmosphere and an audience well fired up by support bands Clarity and Love Rocket.

So everything was in place for the main band, a German outfit, Uniting The Elements (UTE). This band have extensively toured Europe and have now based themselves in Swansea, with the optimistic intention of being noticed and signed by a UK record label.

Not since the outstanding Hot Puppies played Narberth, have I seen so many hormonal boys at the front, drawn no doubt to the delectable Dawn, with her fabulously fiery red hair.

Proficient and accom-plished, as you would expect from veterans of 160-plus UK gigs, UTE take themselves very seriously indeed.

The basis for their sound is traditional egocentric European pomp rock, taking in the high drama of Iron Maiden, at best goth-tinged, veering towards Evanescence, with occasionally the odd moment of Cradle Of Filth, but much, much less entertaining. Front woman Dawn jolts around in an angular and slightly predatory manner, but UTE are distinctly unthreatening.

Their set was very stop-start with none of the seamless seguing from one song to another that we take for granted, even from local bands.

But while there was plenty of pomp and circumstance, there was sadly something vital lacking and anyone expecting any kind of savage glory would have been bitterly disappointed.

And while the band's sense of their own epicness remains, I am sure, undiminished, for all the dazzling lighting beaming down on them,UTE were out-performed and out shone by the main support band, of whom more next week.