WITH the man himself taking up residency on Broadway, it has left a Bruce-shaped hole in the lives of many Springsteen fans.

For those pining for their live fix, the solution is at hand from this most unlikely source.

Let’s face it The She Street Band deserve your attention for their name alone. A seven-piece, all-girl Springsteen covers ban – it has to be worth a try doesn’t it?

Their show at the Ruby Lounge, the final date of the first UK tour, left even the most sceptical audience members beaming broadly as the sweat dripped off the low ceiling and the mass cries of ‘Bruuuuce’ filled the air.

The She Street Band are not a tribute, any attempt to do such a thing would be patently ridiculous. Instead what you get are the songs of Springsteen given a different dimension performed by a group of talented musicians who clearly love The Boss as much as their audience.

I have to declare an interest here – as anyone who knows me will tell you. I’m a bit of a Springsteen fan (38 live shows since 1981).

But I have been to a fair number of gigs this year and I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable.

Deciding to start with Thunder Road, for many fans the ultimate Springsteen song, was a brave choice but within a few bars you could sense a collective grin spreading around the audience – the hallowed work was in very capable hands. Let the party begin!

The She Street Band offer an interesting new dynamic with four of the band members taking up the vocals during the show. The organ has been replaced by a glockenspiel, the keyboards are among the smallest you’re likely to see on a stage but make no mistake these girls can play,

Several note perfect sax solos, some shredding guitar work and a pounding rhythm section that would make Max proud all add to the experience.

With so many songs to choose from, the setlist was an interesting mix of the obvious and the more obscure. So we were treated to the likes of Candy’s Room, Growin’ Up and Jackson Cage alongside the likes of Dancing in the Dark, Badlands and Born to Run.

Cover Me, chosen by fans via an online poll as the song they’d like to hear, became almost a blues number and Tougher Than The rest featuring six vocalists was a genuine delight.

At times a concert, at times a mass sing-along, The She Street Band offer something unique and. above all, tremendously enjoyable. And, you don’t have to be a Springsteen fan to enjoy it.

Don’t worry Bruce, your songs are in safe hands.