Having a ball

After the pre-publicity in a number of newspapers last week, Obiter skipped off to this year's Inns of Court Ball in a frenzy of anticipation.

Drunken high jinks and general debauchery had been forecast, but sadly by 3am the only notable transgression involved a couple of young barrister types hogging their car for repeated sessions on the dodgems - certainly nothing for the benchers to get too het up over.

What was of interest was the remarkable insight we were able to gain into the musical tastes of the young Bar, which seems to be rooted firmly in the 1980s with even a throw back to the mid to late-1970s.

Dannii Minogue (the Aussie bombshell from Home & Away, not Neighbours) caused the biggest stir as the hordes rushed for the exit after her first number.

She had been preceded by Snowdogs, a band consisting London-based Finns who provided the superb incongruity of a Clash and Sex Pistols-style grinding guitar sound in the hallowed hall of Lincoln's Inn.

But for many the evening was saved with the arrival of ABC, the band that personifies the slick 1980s style.

As lead singer Martin Fry belted out 'I've seen the future, I can't afford it', it was tempting to conclude that that was why he had ended up playing this gig.