My wife and I are massive live music fans and, living not too far from the location of the world-famous Glastonbury Music Festival, you'd expect the music scene around these parts to be buzzing.

But look around, and bar a few notable exceptions, (regular music at The Riverside, Mardons or Rockaway) you'd not be considered too crazy if you stated that there's not much going on. But here's the secret: you'd be wrong. You just need to go look for it and take advantage when you find it.

We learnt about Saturday's night of live music from a flyer handed to us outside Midsomer Norton Library. The promo promised a night of "sweaty roadhouse style electric blues" at Haydon, with a rather convincing call to arms: "You say you love music? Come along. You say you wish to support local artists? Come along. You say we need more entertainment in the area? Come along!".

Yet another cold, damp evening meant that free admission to a music venue was too good an option to resist. Haydon Que Club is a classic working men's style club/old-school village hall. Nothing wrong with that, and to me it felt like the kind of place you could imagine Tom Jones packing crowds into before fame found him in the ‘60s.

The opening act was a band called Loophole, a heavily 90s-influenced four-piece of extremely talented youngsters. It seemed that half the local school's teenagers had come along to see Loophole play and the audience was having a great time. Playing hits from Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morrisette, Radiohead and, at their louder moments, a bit of Muse. The band were fantastic and though the singer broke a guitar string three songs from the end they all took it in their stride and completed the set without concern.

By the time the headliners took to the stage, the hall was rammed. With a name that sounds like a 1960s Hammer Horror film, ‘Cult Of The Velvet Rattlesnake’ were exactly what I was hoping for. Opening with a stomping heavy blues groove and a guitar tone that sounded like Bluesbreakers era Clapton had been commissioned to score a Tarantino movie, it was a genuine surprise when the singer took to the microphone and started singing Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made for Walking" over the dirty overdriven guitar.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Loophole's pianist up with the Velvet Rattlesnakes - his skills were phenomenal and a real highlight. Rounding up the Rattlesnakes was a rhythm section that wouldn't have looked out of place in a 1970s ZZ Top, constantly grooving and always in control.

Finishing their 90-minute set, the band tossed snake badges to the excited teens in the crowd. I'd say you usually only expect to see bands like this playing slots in festivals but the atmosphere in small venues like this is what grassroots music is all about.

My wife and I left delighted with what felt like a secret show that we'd snuck into, and are more determined than ever to seek out treats like this regularly.

John Niven