A sound night - of music but not volume. Craig Charles, Smoove and Turrell and DJ Chris Groove at Cambridge Junction

Smoove and Turrell were at the Cambridge Junction (Image: Archant)

Crowd-pleaser DJ Groove span a perfect mix of popular tunes prepping the packed venue for Newcastle’s finest modern soul band Smoove and Turrell.

This seven piece band, which last year released a third studio album, Broken Toys, were on point, with a set of all-round finely-delivered, happy tunes, showing why they are quickly rising up the ranks of respected soul artists.

Having played Glastonbury, supported Chic and made significant in-roads on the American market, the Geordie crew has had their music played on Match of the Day, Strictly Come Dancing and Coronation Street.

And if the crowd’s reaction on Saturday night is anything to go by their brand of funky soul would appear to be a tad unstoppable.

DJ Chris Groove played a warm up set at Cambridge Junction (Image: Archant)

Hot on their heels was a wide ranging set by the all-smiling, all-dancing Radio 6 DJ Charles, whose energy was boundless and included a mix of tracks that didn’t sit in the realms of the obvious with a few curved ball tunes thrown in for good measure.

The line up attracted a great crowd with a good mix of all ages and one of the busiest nights I’ve seen in some time.

So busy, in fact, there was a queue of more than 10 minutes to get to the cloakroom.

In all the years of going to the Junction since it opened on the former cattle market site in 1990 it is the first time I’ve queued to safely store a coat, so it definitely was a packed one.

Craig Charles and Kath Sansom after his Funk and Soul Club night at Cambridge Junction (Image: Archant)

The only problem at this night, however, was volume.

It needed turning up.

Gigs should be so loud you can barely hear yourself talk – this wasn’t and it was a shame because it took the edge of what should have been a bigger atmosphere.