If an event can be accurately termed quietly sensational, then the resurrection of The Adventures as a box office certainty and compelling live force on Northern Ireland's now saturated live scene fits the bill.

Best known for singlehandedly flying the flag for Northern Ireland in the international pop arena during the lean years of the 1980s, The Adventures enjoyed a string of modest singles successes. But the one thing that this live resurrection demonstrated beyond doubt was that their songs have a resonance in people's memories that outstrips many of those acts who outsold them at the time. Featuring songwriter/guitarist Pat Gribben, vocalist Terry Sharpe and backing vocalist Eileen Gribben, with four of Belfast's finest young players, including guitar wiz Iggy Ward and bassist John Burns, making up the numbers, the group's revival after six years away feels like a totally contemporary band satiating an almost palpable public demand for the kind of timeless melodic values they had always stood for.

Nostalgia was not in evidence. Fitter, leaner and brimming with a wholly justified bravado, outrageous frontman Terry Sharpe was a focus of attention throughout - the Clint Eastwood of rock, oozing machismo, with weatherbeaten good looks and a manic glint in his eye. Broken Land, the group's anthem, had to be played twice, while the likes of Send My Heart, Feel The Raindrops and The Sea Of Love were played with a punch that trounced the original recordings.