The Break and Dog Trumpet joined forces for a a short run of gigs around Sydney, Milton & Newcastle.

Dog Trumpet are Reg Mombassa - guitar and vocals, Pete O'Doherty - guitar and vocals, Bernie Hayes - Bass and vocals and Jess Ciampa on drums (I think). Reg and Peter. formerly of Mental as Anything, really come into their own with this band.

Reg Mombassa is well known for his Mambo designs. These, along with his images of houses he's lived in and other paintings were displayed in a slideshow behind the band during the set.

They played songs from their latest album "River of Flowers" as well as songs from their previous four albums, finishing off with their hits "Antisocial Tendencies" and my favourite "I'm so handsome".

In between the sets Rob Hirst came onstage to give away a vinyl copy of the band's album "Church of the Open Sky". The limited edition vinyl looks really great and will should prove very popular amongst collectors.

The Break, as everyone probably knows by now, is Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar) & Martin Rotsey (guitar) - previously from Midnight Oil. They're joined by Brian Ritchie on bass, formerly of the Violent Femmes.

The excitement of the album really comes across in a live setting, especially on songs like "Winkipop". Hirst's driving drum beats really pushed everything along. Moginie's work with keyboards, guitar & theremin was seamless. His sounds form a large part of the distinctive voice of the band.

Videos of surfers, old movies and The Break artwork were played as a backdrop to the music.

"Wedding Cake Island" is always a highlight, but was especially appropriate on this night. The rocky outcrop that the song is named after is off Coogee Beach, just down the hill from the Diggers Club. Their version has evolved from the original Midnight Oil version with a hint of Atlantics style drumming in there.

As an encore the Dog Trumpet guys came back on and together they played The Shadows "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt". This was a great tribute to classic instrumental songs, and not an obvious one. The night was finished off with Bernie Hayes signing "Little Red Rooster". The addition of a vocal at the end didn't seem quite right after seeing such a good set of instrumental songs. Ending on "Flingel Bunt" may have been more appropriate.

There was a really good crowd at Coogee Diggers. It's proving itself to be a good venue.