"Sl@nted and Ench@nted" is no more. The free-sheet has decided to call it a day after three years and 38 issues and which, according to the Irish Times, was "the best Irish example [of a free-sheet] ... an exuberant and highly entertaining look at the urban Dublin zeitgeist without any of the mainstream hyperbole to distort your vision". Its final issue was celebrated, if that's the right word, with a gig in The Funnel, a favourite S@E hangout. Judging by the turnout they'll be sorely missed.

More than 250 people squeezed into the second floor, for a great value night. For a mere £4.50 you got to hear two bands, two DJs, entry to the club "Fear" and, if that wasn't enough, a CD that is far more representative of the Irish underground than Sony's commercially driven release ever could be. That doesn't mean it hasn't got its fair share of boring and ripped-off beats but it still gives nobodies their chance in the sun.

Palomine was the first band to go on stage, featuring a share of melodious sounds that exudes potential but went downhill before they decided to rock out and change to male vocals. A bit of work on the set-list should resolve such problems of tedium. The Chillage Idiots of XFM were up next with drum and bass that didn't fall into its usual introspection and thus got people moving.

Das Madman on the other hand are Mogwai wannabes with an amazing eight members. They deserve credit for getting that many people on-stage. Toffee Crisp would have fewer problems fitting an extra crispy bit into one of their bars. It was good to see a female vocalist with rhythm and melody but Das Madman as a whole don't get the balance between melody and noise quite right. Ultimately they got too boring too quickly.

Power FM's Maeve, and formerly of Venus Envy, couldn't get the crowd going again but had some interesting things going on at some points without ever setting the world alight.

"Fear" is an ongoing club night at the Funnel, with a small group of spaced out people attending it on a regular basis. The music is fucked up drum n' bass, and you have to be pretty out of it yourself to be able to enjoy it or dance to it. Luckily that was the case for most of the sardines packed in upstairs.

So S@E's final session ended on a high just like most of the people there.