IT'S always a highly-charged night when a band plays its final gig, and tonight was no exception.

Undoubtedly one of the finest bands ever to have come out of York, The Yards were playing for the very last time and, judging by the packed venue, there were plenty of people who weren't going to miss it.

The gig consisted of two sets, showing off the two sides to this brilliant band; the first, a gentle set of acoustic loveliness, and the second, a full-on, rocked up version, with songs from across the band's career and two albums - their eponymous debut and their second, Imperial Measures, released earlier this year.

Casting an eye over the attentive audience, there were plenty of people singing along, belting their hearts out, but not quite as much as those on the stage, who were giving it everything they had.

From the lovely Cars to the raucous The Devil Is Alive And Well And In DC, and from the heartbreakingly gorgeous Pure to the achingly yearning The Last High, every beautifully-crafted song had it's curtain call.

The Yards have always been best in the live arena, and all five members play their crucial part, proving that they could never be The Yards without one of them.

If they were in any doubt that tonight would be anything other than brilliant, then they needn't have worried.

This swansong gig really was a last high, and this band has left a gaping Yards-shaped hole in the York music scene.