The Plug and Play event at Penrith Players on the 4th Jan 2009 got the new year off to a rocking start with the young group Ctrl.Alt.Beat! headlining. It was only the second appearance at the Penrith Playhouse from this up-and-coming band, but they provided great entertainment for the almost-capacity crowd. Their act consisted of a selection of their own material combined with a range of cover songs ranging from the highly complex "Two Steps, Twice", to a more contemporary and highly amusing rap cover of Will Smith's "Nod Ya Head". 

Throughout their show, each song was met with rapturous applause and the audience loving every minute. Perhaps it is significant that they exhausted their rehearsed repertoire before the encore due to the shows reception and had to resort to tracks that they had not played for a long time. In true Rock and Roll style, the last song was played out brilliantly despite a guitarist having broken a string, in the previous track. In the whole show, the overriding sentiment coming from the stage was here were five guys obviously having a lot of fun... 

"And with the talent shown, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the future."

Ian Coates