Stipe @ The Hibernian, Birmingham, Mar 13th 2004				Review by Adrian Garvey
	"Hey Kids,Where were you?" The members of Stipe took the stage in the Hibernian in Birmingham at 9.30pm, the musicians were locked and ready to go when as cool as a breeze "Michael Stipe"(aka Rick) walked on to join them. He was dressed exactly like Michael Stipe is in R.E.M.'s new live DVD "Perfect Square", including the cowboy hat!. They kicked off with a rocking version of "Begin the Begin", followed by an extremely funky "Crush with Eyeliner". The set was varied and exciting, tying in less known songs (Ignoreland, Begin, Eyeliner, Animal) with the hits (Religion, Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon, End of the World). The band sounded great, played great and even looked great!. The crowd, or lack of, was a let down. The 20-30 people in attendance just didn't seem to ever really get into the show. Even "Man on the moon" failed to get much response. Still as frontman Rick said "It's quiet, but cozy". The band still performed great and bowed out with "End of the World" at around 11 o'clock. Highlights included Great Beyond, Bad Day and latest R.E.M. single "Animal". These guys are the best R.E.M. tribute band around. Miss them at your peril. Adrian Garvey   email