Reverend & The Makers: Electric Ballroom, London

Sheffield icons, Reverend and The Makers took to London’s Electric Ballroom on the 10th October for the ‘Best Of’ tour. Often, and peculiarly ignored by Radio X and BBC6, they showcased what they had been missing!

They’re not of cultural fabric of the UK in the same way of Primal Scream, but, they do have their adventurous spirit at their core.  They push egos to one side and share vocal duty to suit the art. Lead guitarist Ed Cosens delivers 60s pop gem ‘Makin’ Babies’ expertly and, on ‘Black Flowers’, something truly magical happens. Keyboardist Laura McClure’s spellbinding vocals on the Portishead inspired track. As she sings “our love got up walked out of the room”, everyone is under her beguiling spell.

The styles keep on coming, ‘MDMAzing’ and ‘Bassline’ stray into 2am Ibiza territory and set the dancefloor alight. Meanwhile, Cousins’ guitar playing on ‘Black Widow’, finds that expansive rock sound their mates Arctic Monkeys never quite nailed on ‘Humbug’, ‘Suck It and See’ and ‘AM’.

Make no mistakes though, John McClure is the big draw. Literally! It’s no disservice to the band, but his ability to stray from spoken word, to Damon Albarn, to Liam Gallagher and remain true to his Sheffield roots is truly remarkable.

It may be because they never hit truly dizzying heights that they still have the early days feel of “one of us”. More likely, the truth lies in Frank Turner’s ‘Try This At Home’:

“Cause there's no such thing as rockstars
There's just people who play music
And some of them are just like us
And some of them are dicks”

Here’s to another twelve years.

*Image courtesy of Mike Halcrow

The Velvet Hands: Live in London

“Everybody's looking for last gang in town
You better watch out for they're all comin' around”

Falmouth’s The Velvet Hands kicked off their intimate sold out tour off at London’s Roadtrip & The Workshop this past Tuesday night.

The Clash had a gang mentality, The Libertines had it and now, The Velvet Hands have it! Despite the rock n roll, the punk fury and the icey coolness of the vocals, they have warm embracing nature. It’s so inviting that, on the modern classic ‘Party’s Over’, the raucous crowd invite themselves on stage for a dance.

On the debut album record, The Strokes influences were plain to see. Live though, they transcend their NYC heroes. As the BRMC inspired ‘Sick of Living’ catches fire, their welcoming spirit permeates the sweat drenched room. What Richard Hawley does via pop couplets and enriching arrangements, The Velvet Hands are doing with garage punk rock.

New singles ‘Don’t Be Nice To Me’ and ‘This Feeling’ also go down a storm. The word is out! The former, a Cribs meets Strokes banger is the pick of the bunch with its ecstatic closing moments!

Brace yourself Britain, you’re about to get new national treasures!

*Image courtesy of Craig Taylor-Broad

Average Sex: The Victoria, London

London’s Average Sex signed off their first UK tour at East London’s Victoria this past Friday night. Having warmed up for us at our 8th birthday just over 2 weeks ago, we were salivating at the thought of a tour hardened band returning home.

In lead guitarist Sam O’Donovan, they have a king hook maker. Whether it’s The Strokes, Beach Boys, Ramones, or The Charlatans, he can turn his hand to the lot. On ‘U Suck’, he taps into Television and adds the destruction of punk to back mercurial front woman Laetitia Bocquet. Much like Mozza and Marr, he is fuelling the fire of Bocquet for the most part, but, on ‘Dump’ and ‘Ugly Strangers’, his licks step out of the darkness to star.

It is impossible though, to watch Average Sex and not be in awe of Bocquet. Her ability to method act each songs’ narrative is joyous. Whether it’s the hysteria of ‘We’re Done’, the wry venom of ‘Erotomania’ or the raw emotion of ‘My Dead Friend’, she gives the audience something different, almost every verse.

Together, not forgetting their slick rhythm section (Louise Earwaker / Finnigan Kidd / Jamie Graeme), they are band who seem to just get it. It’s not enough to just have great songs, you have to mean it, and Average Sex become their songs on stage. This is integrity will lead them to bigger stages sooner rather than later.

*Image courtesy of The Gig Slut

Apeman Spaceman: The Amersham Arms, London

When 2 members of cult heroes Dogs (Johnny Cooke & Rikki Mehta) formed Apeman Spaceman in 2014, it felt inevitable the world wouldn’t miss out on their genius twice. The success, and more importantly, their vision wasn’t forthcoming immediately. However, 5 years on, it’s all coming together like Hannibal’s finest plan.

The north London outfit headlined The Amersham Arms this past Saturday with a verve and aggression that was undeniable. They took the emotive destruction of IDLES and razor sharp lyricism of Sleaford Mods and put it through their distorted outer space landscapes.  

Latest single ‘Living in a Teacake’, recalled the early guitars and bass licks of Dogs classic ‘London Bridge’. Here though, they go harder and more punkadelic to reach new dystopian glories.

On ‘Check Me Out’, they again find that past sweet spot and combine it with their twisted future. It’s a spellbinding concoction, and when Cooke’s vocals hit full force, they transcend music. They become a devilish subconscious you cannot switch off.

It may have taken five years, but on this evidence it was more than worth it.

This Friday marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music from 7pm. Click the image for tickets:

The Clockworks: The Boogaloo, London

Something is afoot across the Irish Sea right now. Fontaines DC, Inhaler, Sick Love and The Wha have all delivered quality albums and singles this year. Last night, Galway’s The Clockworks headlined Alan McGee’s night at The Boogaloo and took their spot in the limelight.

Much like IDLES and Fontaines DC, they’re remarkably fully formed for a band so new. The set is full of Mike Skinner quips, The Rakes’ charm, and unbridled intensity.

Former single ‘Bills and Pills’ stuns The Boogaloo. It’s sublime punk rock. The lyricism of Sleaford Mods and the desolate guitar hooks of The Cribs mark The Clockworks out as future festival headliners.

In front man James McGregor, they have someone truly special for fans to idolise. His attack of the microphone from the first word of ‘Future’ is a volatile death or glory moment. The venomous howl of ‘this is not a fucking joke’ strikes a powerful chord with a drooling crowd.

The pop stomp of ‘Rumours in the Stockroom’ showcases they are not all fire and brimstone. The melancholic pop licks of Editors collide with the sense of urgency. This is vital!

The Clockworks, on this showing, are undoubtedly are band with a meteoric rise on the horizon. They are so immediate, and so necessary, it’s impossible to deny them.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

RATS: The Social, London

“When Jake Bugg went to number one it made national news headlines. Why? Because he never went to stage school nor graduated from Brits academy. He didn’t enter Britain’s Got Talent nor summit himself to the humiliations of X-Factor. He made headlines because he is just an ordinary kid from a state school……I can’t believe there aren’t plenty of teenagers out there with an ear for a good tune and a chip on their shoulder who have something to say to us.”

Billy Bragg, The John Peel Lecture, 2015

Introducing to you, Liverpool’s Rats! They headlined Creation23’s night at The Social Tuesday night and displayed said fire and skill.

Their brand of working class indie-punk always gets lost in the mix when the majors and x-factor types dominant the industry. However, with singles like ‘Weekend’ and ‘Figure It Out’ in their arsenal, eventually the keepers of the gate will be forced to open.

The latter, was explosive and right in the slot that will carry them to big venues. Throughout the set, elements of all their songs threatened to reach this level. Despite not being as fully formed; Rats are very much a band in the ascendancy. The wit and angst in their delivery of upcoming single ‘Jack’ and the emotive hooks of ‘Dreams’, it’s easy to imagine them as Liverpool’s answer to The Courteeners.

Awash with tales of sex, drugs and violence, Rats, like Jake Bugg in 2015, shouldn’t be considered an anomaly. On this showing, it won’t be long before they are lauded in the same light as Bugg. Woe betide anyone who stands in their way.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Militant Girlfriend: Village Green Festival

South East London’s Militant Girlfriend kicked off the spectacular Grrl Zine Fair at Village Green Festival. Surrounded by, quite frankly, some astonishing pieces of DIY art, the three piece delivered a fragile and heart wrenching slice of punk-pop.

The bulk of the set emanated from last year’s self-titled EP.  ‘2k17 Was For Dickheads’, a joyous piece of slacker rock, showcased Caitlin King and Liv Wynter’s innovative ability to harmonise. Their blend of fragile pop and punk venom continued on ‘Letters’, a gloriously painful break up song.

Despite the punk ethos, on ‘Marge’ and ‘Re-Run’, they took their style towards the West Coast beauty of the early 70s. The former, a jaw dropping ode to King’s mum. Meanwhile, ‘Re-Run’, was causing the painful re-living of a relationship coming to an end (sociopath alert if it didn’t).

Militant Girlfriend’s ability to channel pain through loving and stirring punk-pop inevitably will take them to bigger audiences.The world cannot be kept from their best years.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Suspects: Village Green Festival

Complete with Ric Flair “wooooos” and righteousness in their veins, Southend’s Suspects led two-man crusade at Village Green Festival this past Saturday. Few were not saddling up to ride into battle with them afterwards.

The sheer power of their set shook the Idea13 stage. On ‘Armageddon and Me’, such was the ferocity, they made The Stooges and Royal Blood look like the exponents of nursery rhymes. Despite the frenetic chaos they generate, front man Thomas Prescott’s adorable soul shines bright, giving the audience something heartfelt to cling to.

This was personified on the intimate ‘Recovery’. The honesty of Frank Turner’s lyrics combined with the early fire of The Black Keys to create a furious sense of euphoria. Former single ‘Anaphylactic Shock’ took this even further. It was as though Therapy? had joined forces with The Walkmen on their classic ‘The Rat’.

During ‘Mental Health Act’, they drew their battle lines in the sand. For anyone who has ever been lost, it was a welcoming hug in the disguise of a behemoth rock monster.

Heavy. Destructive. Noble. All hail the Suspects.

*Image Courtesy of Kana Waiwaiku

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Asylums: Village Green Festival

On Essex’s grandest live stage, the main stage at Village Green Festival, Southend’s Asylums stole the whole effing show this past Saturday. Their brand of Ash meets The Clash embodied everything great about alternative pop, full of heart, desperation and better than annoying the mainstream could ever manufacture.

Essex, a county a tradition in right leaning politics, was lit up with Joe Strummer’s sloganeering and Billy Bragg’s social comment via frontman Luke Branch. ‘Joy In A Small Wage’ was pure pop rebellion. The imagery of the “outsider” knowing their worth, in today’s society, is a truly powerful one.

Taking messages such as “Sexists, we fucking hate you” to the suburbs seems innocuous, but really, it’s brave. How many of us can truly say we stand up and be counted in little England? Refusing intolerance, Asylums launch into a scorching rendition of ‘Second Class Sex’. The destruction levels are taken sky high on ‘Napalm Bubblegum’, no one was left unscathed!

With a certain other Southend outfit headlining the day, Asylums showcased everything pop music could and should be. They held up a mirror to a fractured society with pop hooks from the heavens. Credible, lovable, outsiders do not wear school uniforms!

*Image courtesy of Andrew Kenyon

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

The Courteeners: Heaton Park, Manchetser

“I miss the city I love but I've been having an affair
With L.A and New York, Dundee
And Doncaster if I may dare
Of course I do, of course I do
But I was meant for this place, and I was meant for you”

Four days on from The Courteeners hometown triumph at Heaton Park, the slightest thought of ‘Are You In Love With A Notion’ is still delivering some serious goosebumps. This wasn’t just a gig, this was, in the words of Liam Fray “a party”.

The Courteeners have been here before in 2015 but, this past Saturday was more than double the size at fifty thousand people and. Every street, bus, train and tram was alive with anticipation in Manchester Saturday lunchtime. It was impossible to deny, even by this hardened cynical view of outdoor gigs. From note one from Goth pop outfit Pale Waves, it’s clear, Manchester isn’t to suffer the same fate as the string of gigs too quiet in London.

When Liam and co walked on stage, something special happened for two hours. It wasn’t rock stars playing to their adoring fans. This was a personal affair, almost as if it an unsigned band had convinced all their mates to come alone for support.

The atmosphere The Courteeners generate is, for all wankers in the industry wondering what their appeal is (aside good tunes), their usp. Heaton park became the greatest playground of all time. The flares, the mud, the drizzle, the endless Union jack waterproofs from Primark, the mud (the endless mud), the overflowing urinals, laughing at people stacking it, and the dedicated follower of fashion in his brand new white trainers. THE MUD!

It’s been fourteen years since The Courteeners begun and, during the two new songs, showed no signs of slowing down. ‘Better Man’ had such an infectious chorus it was being sung back by the end.

Whether people came to hear ‘The Smiths Disco’ or reaffirm their love of ‘St. Jude’, this was not only a gig for the ages, it was a triumphant for the underdog. Memories of Frank Turner’s underground insurgency at Wembley Arena in 2012 came flooding back. Seven years on from that night, the industry is still throwing money at homogenised dullards. For any kid attendance wanting to form a band, stick your head above the parapet and be yourselves. You will be adored!  

We never post clips from peoples phones but, this was too much fun to ignore despite the iffy sound:

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

The Twang: The Borderline, London

Two years on from the release of their b-sides album ‘Subscription’, Birmingham’s The Twang were back in London for intimate warm up gig at the Borderline.

Road testing new songs for a seasoned band is never an enviable task. Many of the crowd are either unaware or not interested. So, top open with for newbies was always a bold choice. However, through sheer punk rock commitment to the cause, they win over the room with ease.

A punk fire burned through ‘Time Waits’ and ‘Dream’, the latter expertly spliced with the psyche-funk of ‘Fools Gold’. Their latest single ‘Everytime’ is a marked change in direction with its disco influences. It oozed sexuality and attitude via slick basslines and a sumptuous chorus.

From this point onwards, it’s the classics all the way! The swagger of the Mondays and the grit of The Enemy permeates the everyman ‘Took The Fun’ and ‘Back Where We Started’. When they hit this groove, it’s one of the purest sights in music. Few bands can cause outbreaks of freaky dancing on this scale. When you take step back, and consider the Ken Loach realism and Shane Meadows romanticism of the characters they are portraying, this is as pure as live music can be.

This gig was postponed after drummer Ash tragically lost his Uncle John. If everyone had the love of this send-off, the world would be a sincerely better place. RIP uncle John, you were loved at the Borderline.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Tallies: The Social, London

Toronto based four piece Tallies played their debut UK gig at The Social last week. With Ride legend Andy Bell dj-ing, it was a great way for them to make their mark.

Despite being in their infancy, there was a striking level of polish to their set. The level between the album and their live performance was minimal and, in front woman Sarah Cogan, they have an icon in the making. Her Harriet Wheeler-esque vocals carried a soaking wet London to far sunnier climates.

Lead guitarist Dylan Frankland took his turn to sparkle on the sumptuous ‘Midnight’ and the driving shoegaze of ‘Trains and Snow’. Despite their moments in the spotlight, there was no ego on stage just pure gang mentality.

So much of their set is littered with pop hooks, be it vocally or on the guitar. By the end, it felt inevitable a big break through is coming this summer for Tallies. The shimmering guitars on ‘Beat The Heart’ or the pop perfect ‘Mother’ were so delicious, binge eating beckons.

When you consider the success of Australia’s DMA’s in the UK with their re-imagining of late 80s and early 90s British music, this might well be a rare small gig for Tallies in the UK.  

*Image courtesy of Sonic Cathedral

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Richard Ashcroft: Olympia, London

When the Wigan icon returned with ‘These People’ in 2016, we saw him twice in London. Once at the o2, where he delivered a stunning orchestra backed set of the classics. The following summer, at Brixton Academy, something astonishing happened. A man who, to millions, has nothing to prove let his burning desires for people to love his new music pour over his adoring fans. He was a man possessed. Having made his point emphatically, what would he do this time?

Resplendent in his glitter ball jacket, he bounced on stage this past Saturday at London’s vast Olympia Exhibition centre. With his hair long like ‘Storm In Heaven’ era of The Verve, that energy from Brixton hadn’t dissipated.

It doesn’t take long to see why either. Almost every song has been given a makeover. The spirit of Prince’s showman guitar style is at the heart of every riff and solo. ‘Break The Night With Colour’ becomes an funked up introspective masterclass meanwhile, ‘Music Is Power’ is given the full Curtis Mayfield treatment.

On the down tempo The Verve classics ‘Space and Time’ or ‘Velvet Morning’, the meditative guitars are heightened to a more glamourous sphere, but always retaining the respect to McCabe’s majesty.

It’s a remarkable achievement. No one was expecting this gear change. Lesser men, mortals, would have lost a crowd attempting something so bold. Not Ashcroft. With the poetry of Blake still coursing through him, he keeps his integrity and humbleness at the fore of every great lyric and vocal.

This gig is a firm reminder than nothing less striving for brilliance will do!

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

Sleeper: Kentish Town Forum, London

When Sleeper reformed, it was always going to be fun for everyone to take a trip down memory lane. They’re one of the greats of their era. When they announced a new album, the nerves jangled more, then ‘The Modern Age’ came out and rivals, if not surpasses anything they’ve ever done. So, could they bring the new album to life live? You bet your Saturday hairdo they could!

When a band is tagged to a scene such as Sleeper were to Britpop, there is a danger the energy of those songs can fade. It can never be the same again right? No one told Jon Stewart. His playing is bolder on ‘Statuesque’ and more aggressive on ‘Delicious’ than ever before.

Some bands are about the collective, and some, however humbly they deny it, are about the front person. Sleeper are that band and Louise Wener is said icon. Daenerys Targaryen has nothing on Wener. Her vocals on ‘What Do I Do Now’ transport everyone back to the heartache of teenage years. However, it’s on the new material she really comes alive. As the trippy guitars WHAT SONG revolve around north London, Wener subtly deploys her knowing and sexy vocals to crushing effect. No one is left in any doubt just how fucked up the times we live in by the end.

Too many bands deliberately deploy a dip, in order to bring the crowd back up. Frankly, it’s annoying! Sleeper seem fully aware, there just simply isn’t any let up. The crowd is fully on board with the new material, no time for piss breaks! When they deployed multiple disco balls during ‘Atomic’/’Love Will Tear Us Apart’, cystitis seemed worth risking to be honest.

As they closed the night out with the classic ‘Sale Of The Century’, an air of desperation arises. The dawning realisation that they might disappear for another 22 years led to everyone’s soul being laid bare in the Forum.

If that’s all she wrote for Sleeper, it was even more joyous second time round!

Our 8th birthday party is Friday 2nd August at the New Cross Inn. Click the image below for tickets:

Desperate Journalist: The Garage, London

It’s been a week since Desperate Journalist packed the Garage in North London. We’re still reeling! Make no mistakes, Desperate Journalist are the real deal, they know it, that audience knew it, now, the world must too.

When you have a pop anthem like ‘Why Are You So Boring?’ in your locker, you save it for the climatic end right? Bollocks to that, they blasted it out second and sent London’s eyeliner massive into a frenzy. How do you follow that? With a soul crushing performance of ‘Jonatan’, that’s how.

On this Wolf Alice meets The Cult track, front woman Jo Bevan details the loss of a close friend. Bevan’s style has always been from pure and raw but, the courage she summons to deliver this heartfelt ode is breath taking. As she repeats ‘Jonatan’ at the songs close, Bevan transcends music. It’s so powerful, and so honest, this packed crowd is grieving as one.

Their recent singles ‘Cedars’ and ‘Satellite’ have seen guitarist Rob Hardy shine as bright as Bevan on record. There is a buzz in-between the support acts about this. Just how good are his solos going to be? Their escapist qualities were undeniable but, they highlighted just how much of gang Desperate Journalist are. There was no trundling through both songs to let Hardy take the limelight. If anything, on ‘Cedars’ he wielded his power with a humbleness that made Bevan look even more iconic.

Sometimes, after a great show (and this was), you are left wondering, where do a band go from here? Should they just bow out in a glorious fashion? For Desperate Journalist, even three albums in, this felt like a beginning. Only bigger and greater things are going to come their way.

The Claim: 100 Club, London

Celebrating the re-release of their 1988 album ‘Boomy Tella’ and, the release of the new single ‘Journey’, Kent’s The Claim headlined the 100 Club in London this past Saturday night.

Along with ‘Journey’, they aired other new songs ‘Just Too Far’, ‘Dear’ and ‘Hercules’. All of which retained their razor sharp Medway roots and continued to find interesting ways to deliver pop hooks.

Their classic ‘Birth of Teenager’, knits the support of Treasures of Mexico and Jasmine Minks together with is dark lyrics and infectious melodies.  

On ‘Boomy Tella’ album opener ‘Not So Simple Sharon Says’, The Smiths’ 60s British kitchen sink drama imagery is displayed gloriously. Dave Read’s vocal’s, although vastly different in sound, have Mozza’s knack in finding great and unexpected vocal hooks.

The pop majesty just kept coming has they dived into their back catalogue on ‘Lonely Tarts’ and ‘Between Heaven and Woolworths’. When David Arnold gets his hazy jingle jangle via Mod’s immediacy going like this, it’s easy to imagine what a young Graham Coxon was listening to before ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’. Just how did roaring success pass them by?

However, there was no place to be wayward or cynical at this gig. So rare are their live shows that, their credibility and integrity just continues to grow in their absence. Now, with new material shining on its debut London outing, the new album cannot come soon enough (May 24th)

*Image courtesy of https://twitter.com/akumulator_uk

Jasmine Minks: 100 Club, London

Former Creation Records pioneers Jasmine Minks returned to the 100 Club this past Saturday to support Kent brothers in arms The Claim.

They came out of the traps firing with the punk funk masterclass of ‘Think!’, the righteous ‘Work For Nothing’ and ‘Where The Traffic Goes’. The latter showcasing just how great Tom Reid is on the drums.

They’re back promoting a new double a-side ‘Step by Step’ and ‘Gravity’. ‘Step By Step’ (Reid on vox) walked right back into 1988’s classic ‘Another Age’ sound.  The “take life by the horns” attitude brings the London crowd both physically and mentally out their shell. The positive spirit in the room is almost tangible. ‘Gravity’, with Jim Shepherd back on vocals, is equally as uplifting but, takes a more measured approach.

As if with so many from the early Creation Records days, jingle jangle guitars underpinning 60s art pop was crucial to the records. The performances of ‘Time For You’ and ‘Poppy White’ demonstrate that the Minks were among the best exponents.  On ‘Cut Me Deep’, it’s easy to see where fellow Scottish bands The Orchids and Teenage Fanclub took their inspiration from.

There is so much to admire about this set from their catalogue both old and new. Former Television Personalities keyboardist Dave Musker further enriches the evening with a touching tribute to the unwell Dan Treacy. However, in ‘Cold Heart’, they have a stone cold classic. Smiles beam from ear to ear as this sun kissed anthem gently meanders its way to the hearts of the London crowd.

Be sure to catch them at The Islington on 20th April!

*Images courtesy of the band

Treasures of Mexico : 100 Club, London

With former members of The Dentists in the band, Chatham’s Treasures of Mexico were always going to light up the 100 Club this past Saturday. Their penchant for sun kissed tunes displayed in full force as they supported the legendary Jasmine Minks and The Claim.

From opener ‘Holding Pattern’ to set closer ‘She’ll Never Get Over Me’, the Kent outfit hit a sweet spot, effortlessly rumbling along like The Feelies, circa ‘Good Earth’. With Bob Collins on lead guitar, they had the ability to step out from the shadows of gentle indie. Whether it’s Weller on the attack or the effortless psyche-jangle of the Fanclub’s Norman Blake on ‘Avalanche’ or ‘The Last Thing’, it’s clear Collins still has the “it” factor.  

During ‘The Last Thing’ and ‘She’ll Never Get Over Me’, front man Mark Matthews threatens a Mark E Smith menace that doesn’t quite materialise. It’s a tantalising piece of brilliance. As the melodic sunshine unfurled, an angst loitered and had the crowd on tenterhooks. The not knowing whether a punk fury was going to breakout of these perfect pop songs was exhilarating.

It’s on ‘Supercute’ where everything comes together for them. Matthews has tapped in to the romanticism of Spector girl groups and Lawrence from Felt, Collins has licks and solos to redefine the C86 movement and in Secret Affair drummer Russ Baxter, they have a melodic beat keeping behemoth.

You will be hard pressed to find a band this good, third on the bill of any gig for the rest of the year.

*Image courtesy of https://twitter.com/akumulator_uk

Embrace: The Roundhouse, London

For some bands, anniversary album gigs serve merely as financial gain and play on people's nostalgia. However, there are exceptions, where the pure spirits of rock n roll find a new lease of life. Primal Scream's re-imagining of 'Screamadelica', eight years on is still the benchmark. Incorporating the best pieces of club culture post '91 into an album set that launched a lot of them, it was a revolving door of Balearic fantasy wonderland past and present.

This past Friday night, Embrace played to a sold out Roundhouse in Camden to mark the 21st birthday of their debut 'The Good Will Out'. Now, they may not have pushed the boundaries like the Primals, but, there was a humility and a connection with flowing from stage to crowd and back again that few have achieved.

This connection reached its summit at the albums mid-point. 'Higher Sights' and 'Retread', are often overlooked for their albums opening three anthems 'All You Good Good People, 'My Weakness Is None Of Your Business', and 'Come Back What To What You Know'. On this night though, it's clear, Embrace fans have all been living similar lives. Such is there power to evoke memories of heartache and find inspiration to carry on, they serve as collective comfort blanket.

Danny McNamara is like a man possessed singing “Will you fight? / Let's see you fight”. There is power oozing from him rarely seen in front men, especially ones so successful. He still has that “one of you” tag about him. Humble and appreciative to the plight of the crowd, he carries everyone along with him to another plain.

Another of the overlooked numbers for live sets is 'That's All Changed Forever'. When you have classics like 'Fireworks' and 'Good Will Out' in your armoury, there can be no complaints for not seeing it on stage. On a night when people are inevitably looking back to the the late 90s, its sentiment carries extra poignancy. It could have only been written by those in the throws of youth. Pleading and defiant simultaneously, this tale of “you'll see” post break up is undoubtedly invoking that first love or the one that got away. It's even harder not to raise a wry smile at almost vengeful last line “Cause you don't know better than me”. We probably didn't.

The credibility Embrace carried through the set was largely due to their two quality albums since their re-emergence in 2014. They didn't need tonight, financially or critically. Danny's reaction to 'Retread; was “oh I forgot how much I like this one”. Despite being key to their success, it was though he won the lottery and got to front Embrace tonight.