Unbelievable Truth and Catherine Tran @ The Zodiac, 16/09/00

Well this was it, the final gig by Unbelievable Truth. They've tried to spread their music, show the world what talent they have, but only to be met with cynical remarks about Andy being Thom's brother. However they did manage to, in their short life, to build up a devoted following, examples of which have travelled from Canada and France, and fans from the UK who made the journey to Oxford even through the fuel shortage.

First they used this opportunity to introduce Catherine Tran, a solo singer. Only 18, she's going to give Oxford's own KTB competition. Her voice is just so perfect. It was amazing that it was her alone on the stage, with just her guitar. Shame she was playing when people were still just turning up.

Then the moment came. The final gig that Unbelievable Truth will ever do. Every song they played was to be greeted with cheering and applause. This began even before they played their first note. They began with songs off Sorrythankyou before moving onto songs in Almost Here. The band said very little and Nigel spoke the most, that's usual then. Among all the album tracks they played B sides like Roadside #1, Who's to Know and Nightlight. Every song was equally brilliant. That hour went by so quickly that it was unbelievable. The last two songs they played were an amazing version of Building and Agony (with the Sorryfuckyou ending). They had to come back onstage really, and the only song they could end on was I Can't Wait. This time the band's version seemed to last longer than ever. Everyone knew that this could be their last song, and none of the audience wanted it to end, and none of the band, it seemed, did either. But it had to finish sometime, and then the band only came back, arms round each other, for a curtain call. Their final farewell.

Perhaps the most poignant moment was when the band played their opening song (with just Andy and Nigel), Almost Here. The lyrics seem to tell the story of Unbelievable Truth, 'and you try to tell me that we're almost here, that we've almost made it'. Well they did nearly make it, if it wasn't for the press and their obsession with a certain band.