Going back into the dim and very distant past; in a previous incarnation I was a semi-pro and then a pro drummer. Not for anyone particularly famous although I did once fail an audition for Atomic Rooster and turn down an audition for the Glitter band. (Trust me, I'd not have looked good in a silver lame suit).

Anyway in those days most bands did a mixed set of their own numbers and some others by assorted artistes of their fancy.

In my band's case we did our own stuff (Benny, On my way, Queen of the Mountains - If you're of an age lets see if you can identify my band from those) along with Mississipi Queen, Smoke on the water, Potter etc etc.

We also changed other people's numbers slightly. Slightly different bass runs, guitar licks and drum breaks but it would still be obvious what the number was.

Nowadays, looking through my monthly gig guide it seems to me that increasingly all that as far as the big draws go all we have to watch in the live music field are the so called Tribute Bands.

And that means that they do nothing but perform other peoples stuff in an as close as possible facsimile of the original band.

For instance. In the near future around this neck of the woods we have shows by "Absolute Bowie", "Counterfeit Quo", "Fleetwood Bac" and "The Take That Experience".

There are also Genesis tributes, Pink Floyd tributes, Z Z Top tributes, Phil Collins tributes, Thin Lizzy tributes, Beatles tributes, Queen tributes and on and on and on.

Now whilst I am all for live music I'd love a bit more originality for my evening entertainment than a group of, hopefully talented (but sadly not always so talented) musos having learned the entire back catalogue of a big named band and who then trot it out on some pub/club stage.

There are some great bands out there, B Sharp and Gambler being just 2 who immediately spring to mind and these are the sort of people I'd happily pay my money to see. However I have to add that there seems to be a dearth of bands these days and it's the regular same old names that crop up month after month in the gig guides.

As for tribute bands, if I want to see Pink Floyd perform then I want to see the real Pink Floyd. If I can't then I'd rather sit and watch a DVD of a genuine performance.

There must be musicians learning to play and by that I don't mean scratchers and mix-masters who, whilst filling an interesting niche in the music world are no more musicians than I am a sub aqua airline pilot.

Or is it just another example of our quick fix society? Perhaps we want to go and be assailed by what we think we might know than perhaps cast a critical ear of an entire set of stuff that we've never heard.

Right whinge over I'm now off to see if the melting snow has finally stopped dripping it's way around my window frames.