The date was the fourth of January, a date that upon which most bands would still be lying in bed nursing their new year hangovers. But RUTH aren't most bands as we all know.

The place was the Dublin Castle, Camden, one of Madness's old haunts I felt, judging from the Madness posters all around. Unless the proprietor was just a big Madness fan.

How fitting, I thought, that RUTH should come to play here since their records have been mixed by Alan Winstanley, the man who produced the records of Madness.

Full circle, in a way, I thought, pulling at my pint, of beer.

It was a rainy night and I arrived fashionably early, walking up from the Camden Town Underground in my tight trousers and bomber windcheater feeling like I'd reached my spiritual home where what they call "Britpop" lives. Not that RUTH are strictly Britpop. In my opinion they are more rocky, more classic; referential without being derivative. A whole new church of actual new pop music born from the sixties, seventies and the eighties but made for the nineties and the two thousands.

But boy, you don't think about that when you see RUTH play. No sir, Jack, you just stand back and get your mind blown away with all the other gearhead spacemen who are watching the band.

Before came RUTH came several bands who in my opinion weren't very good, particularly the one whose singer bore a passing resemblance to William Gallagher from the band Oasis but who couldn't sing or play or hold the audience's attention.

However I didn't watch them for long because I saw various members of RUTH wandering in and out of the room. They looked quite casual, but inside I'm sure they were as nervous as hell as I was. I wanted to let them know that I had made it and that ALAN would hear of the gig, but somehow whenever I had elbowed my way through the tussle to get to them, they had already slipped away.

Soon the other band's onslaught ceased, and I could see by the way that the RUTH men started scrambling about putting on their instruments to the stage that they were soon to begin.

"RUTH!" I hollered and someone else took up the cry.

Then I saw their trusty live sound engineer Tony squeeze his epic bulk behind the live mixing console and knew that there were only a few minutes to go. I was lit up with anticipation like a Christmas tree because I'd been there when RUTH met Tony at that legendary gig at the Amersham Arms, and they'd taken him on for keeps and I'd heard that he mixed their live sound pretty good.

Suddenly there came the terrifying squeal of orchestra sounds from the PA and as a long timpani roll heralded an awesome version of "Jesus Christ Superstar", onto the stage burst RUTH. I went wild, as did a tall thin girl next to me as well.

Matt Hales said simply "RUTH" and Ben let go with the speedway riff of "You take me over". I already knew I was going to die before with the mightiest crash Steve and Matt VB joined in and everybody was blown into the wall by the surge of electric power in the music. My breath was trapped in my chest and my mouth gaped as my ears sucked in the music and my belly was kicked over and over by Matt's bass drum amplified many times through the PA using an AKG D112 pushed actually into the drum itself.

Tony knew his stuff all right but tonight RUTH knew theirs even better because their months of touring universities last year had paid off and made them tight as a knot that can never be undone. But what a knot! Name me a knot that could sustain the rocking power of I don't know, sublime pop beauty of Valentine's Day, the sheer disco cornucopia of New Can't Stop Myself, the fin de seicle zeitgeistic de nos jours quirky brilliance of the evil I wish I hadn't and then top it all off with a knockout rendition of the Beatles' Paperback Writer and still remain tied up. You can't, but I can and it's name is: RUTH.

I had a bit of an accident near the end and so I missed their encore version of Whirler from off their debut single pack, but as I came back from the toilets I returned to the magical sight of a sweaty Camden room in London jampacked with youngsters all waltzing about the room! I was entranced - I grabbed hold of the nearest person and set the long haired geordie who it was whirling around the room with me.

Soon it was all finished and I said to my newfound partner "Weren't they good!" He agreed that they were. "My name's Ian Jameson" I told him "it's my job to get Closer to the Music. And I can honestly say to you that tonight I believe I've got closer to the music than I have ever done before." He said "My name's Chris Cowey and I'm the producer of Channel 4's The White Room"

I wasn't slow to grasp this unforeseen opportunity, sure in the knowledge that maybe now RUTH would appreciate me!

"But you should put this band on," I shouted "RUTH is their name! They're really good. They really are!!!!!!!"

And he said "All right" and now they ARE on The White Room!!!! And it was all down to me, Ian Jameson - Closer to the Music.

[Actually, it wasn't down to Ian Jameson at all. Mr Cowey did not say "All right", he said "Yes I know. Why do you think I'm here, you fucking dick". Ian Jameson is rather prone to self-aggrandisation, I'm afraid. However, you can see RUTH playing live on The White Room, Saturday nights around 11pm towards the end of February and they're all very excited about it - Ed]