I think it’s safe to say that last night was the best I’ve seen in a long, long time, and one I certainly needed. When Dom and our friend Sergiusz proposed going to see a band called Omega Nebula in Brixton a couple of days ago, I was slightly in two minds: I had never heard of them, and from the videos he showed me they didn’t quite seem my type of thing. Yet, the Bond Prom a few weeks ago aside, it had been an age since I had been to see any live music, and the vast majority of my evenings these days are spent at home watching TV.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Hootananny, Brixton, is one of those awesome little venues which remind me of university: not that large, but space enough for a couple of hundred people to dance around in. After a bit of the usual faffing about with public transport, I got there early, rendezvousing with Dom in time for an alcohol free Guiness. Then, after a quick chat outside we went into the venue itself, and I instantly felt like I had been flung back ten or even twenty years. The music was throbbing; people were dancing all around me; lights were flashing. This was something I definitely needed but hadn’t realised.

Omega Nebula are a very interesting group. An electronic dub duo with hints of reggae, they reminded me of The Cat Empire minus the trumpet. As soon as they started playing I was hooked, and the evening seemed to pass in minutes. The lyrics of their songs seemed somewhat political, so there felt like there was a bit of an edge to the evening, which seemed to suit those dancing with me. It seemed the kind of venue where music fuses with political activism in a heady, intoxicating, urban way.

The evening frankly passed all too quickly, and as soon as I knew it the gig was over. To be honest I’d been slightly concerned that the temptation to ask for a beer might get too much, but I’m glad to say it wasn’t an issue. As I rode the bus home perfectly sober, Dominik beside me, I felt very happy to have enjoyed my first proper night out in ages: music, dancing, friends. Now I have established it’s still possible, I’m suddenly ravenous for more.