Braving the elements last Saturday for their first ever open-air performance, The Regulars were confronted with an element that no forecast could have anticipated.

A minute or two into Today at last, the opener of the band's five-song set for Birmingham's ArtsFest2001 event, a strange old bloke appeared from nowhere and proceeded to dance a merry jig right in front of the stage.

Noting the delight of the audience gathered in Chamberlain Square, and unused to being thus upstaged, Pete battled valiantly to duplicate the codger's cool moves, but these proved beyond the limited agility of the floppy-haired frontman.

A broken string delayed the subsequent song Try for a minute or two, and for the autumnal groove of October we take it back the mysteriously matured hotstepper appeared to have vanished.

No sooner had the band launched into new single This is the sound, however, than he reappeared brandishing a great big cigar.

The set was brought to a close with a successful debut airing of the new song Pop box 9:30, a piece of lo-fi girly noisepop described by former bassist Stu Fletcher as 'a cross between Pavement and The Monkees'.

But the Regs' hopes of offering a permanent role to the hipster who had strutted his superannuated stuff disappeared with him into the city's afternoon drizzle.

The curious case of Groovy Albert comes after the equally delightful appearance of the Irregulars, and leaves the band wondering what could possibly follow.

Perhaps the only certainty of the next Regulars gig - at the Flapper & Firkin on Saturday 22 September - is an abundance of manic pop thrills, with exciting local hopefuls Distophia and The Reverends also on the bill.

The gig will mark the release of and first chance to buy This is the sound, and promises to be a cracking night all round. For a full preview with times and directions and stuff, see the gigs page.