Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno / The Telescopes

@ Sheffield Shakespeare

The Shakespeare is hot. Hot in the sense that its promoters are now booking some of the most revered acts on the international musical underground (my jaw hit the floor when I saw that the legendary Japanese psychedelic rockers Acid Mothers Temple were playing here). Of course, I also mean hot in the sense that I'm starting to sweat whilst trying to watch the support act in a half-empty upstairs room. The Telescopes, it eventually emerges, are a male / female noise duo, though it's fairly impossible to tell this from halfway down the room, as they spend their entire set hidden from view, kneeling over their instruments and effects units churning out waves of feedback. The wash of noise sometimes takes on interesting and engaging forms, but tonight for the most part their music doesn't really connect.

Acid Mothers Temple, however, are just freaking awesome. They tick all the boxes of a leftfield rock-boy's dream band. Japanese, check; dual drummers, check; big hair, check; enigmatic frontman with small synthesiser, check; pyrotechnic guitarist, check; attractive female member, check; excessive volume, check; sudden changes of tempo and time signature, check. All strung together into an over-the-top psychedelic freakout, it should really be too much (and, to be fair, it really is). But somehow, it's glorious. As someone astutely observes, 'They're like a juggernaut. You just have to submit.'

A now sizeable crowd in now sweltering heat submit to AMT's overblown groove mantras with occasionally reckless abandon (culminating in an ill-advised attempt at crowd surfing during the closing number). The frontman dances cosmically. The guitarist plays his guitar with a mirrorball. It's difficult to explain, but basically if you get the chance to see them, you should.

Tom Schrieber

The Longcut / Dead Bells / Tsienna / Snipereyes

@ Leeds Brudenell Social Club

In 2006, James Jam, editor of the NME, paid The Longcut the compliment of reviewing their debut album, A Call and Response, himself. With backing such as this, it sold fairly well, but mass popularity evaded them. Hardly surprising, as The Longcut don't really write songs: they write testimonies to the power of restrained guitar, in which the singing sounds like philosophical football chants.

A rousing set from Dead Bells, whose combination of infectious drive and punchy melodies evokes fellow Leeds boys The Sunshine Underground, primed the audience aptly. Given their choice of support band, Vitamin C, a delicate number, was an odd opener. The sense of miscommunication between band and audience that this created was exacerbated by the popping noises that emanated from one of two important-looking electronic devices. The next track was abandoned altogether when the popping became unbearable.

To their credit, they coped well. Guitarist Lee Gale grinned diffidently and said: 'right, we'll play another song while they try to fix it'. There still seemed to be a slight unease, as the first half of the set was mostly made up of new material which perhaps rendered the rejuvenation of the set a tad more gradual than it ought to have been.

However, by the time they played A Tried and Tested Method they were looking pretty convincing, and Gale and vocalist/keyboardist/drummer Stuart Ogilvie's enjoyment was galvanising the audience. This contrasted with bassist Jon Fearon: only his fingers and lower-arms moved. However, in a band whose aesthetic is as unconventional as The Longcut's, it was perfectly fitting.

They saved their best-loved work, Transition and A Quiet Life, for the final third of the gig, and delivered them with more energy than all the power stations in China. A fine set of material played in the wrong order.

Simon Walker

The Dickies / Mike TV / Mannix / Gone Feral

@ Leicester Charlotte

What a fantastic gig. Promoted initially as part of The Dickies final tour (although thankfully that has now been removed giving us hope to see them again and again) this became part of the 'Summer Sundae fringe', and what a great line up. Gone Feral were a great opener. hire. Vocalist Kay was very like Poly Styrene, there was a great old school punk / white reggae feel, a real breath of fresh air.

Leicester's Mannix were a strange mixture. A metal vocalist with punk guitars, a great fast paced energetic set which was really enjoyable without ever taking off. Mike TV took the crowd up a level with a performance which never fails to engage. This band has huge charisma, guitarist John spends as much time off stage as on and they're loads of fun. Great tunes in a Green Day mould, they should be huge, take the chance to see them while you still can in venues like this one. They're a fantastic band and you'll have a brilliant time.

And so to The Dickies. Can you believe it's been over 30 years since they started? They certainly know how to give a crowd what they want, without a doubt. Favourites 'Night in White Satin' and 'Banana Splits' went down fantastically while 'Paranoid' absolutely raised the roof. This is a band which is immensely confident in itself and they were so relaxed that it seemed as if you were invited into their party. Plenty of banter, plenty of great music, the night ended all too soon even though it was time to head off for the 1am train home.

Simon Clark
Pic by Ed Jasion

Gomez / Little Lost David

@ Sheffield Plug

A near full house waited expectantly for a replay of Gomez's Mercury prize winning album 'Bring It On' on a tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its release and re-issue. You wouldn't envy someone opening and making the crowd wait for their heroes but David Roch, alias Little Lost David, is a special talent for whom this task holds no concerns. Sat astride a kick drum playing delightful acoustic guitar his emotive voice delivering some great lyrics he wins over more than a few of the Gomez fans. 'Peace With The Devil' is a favourite from a very strong set which is evidence why David has signed a publishing deal with a major.

Enter Gomez, a band whose amazing rise to prominence came after handing a tape of some tracks into a local music store who happened to have Comsat Angels front man Steve Fellows working behind the counter, he heard the tape, became their manager and they signed to a major label before playing their first official gig, stuff dreams are made of. Tonight they dutifully play the debut album in order including 'Bubble Gum Years' which is the first time it has been played in public. Despite some fillers it's an album and set of exceptional quality and the crowd sing along to virtually every track including classics like 'Get Myself Arrested' and 'Whippin' Piccadilly'. It's a fun night to open their national tour but they remind everyone what made them special. Ian Ball's voice stands out for me with Tom Waitsesque delivery at times, but anyone of three vocalists take the lead, switch instruments and deliver a tight set of material. The inevitable encore included with some new songs to round off a memorable evening.

Sean Bruce

Nephu Huzzband / Pachinkos Sex Reaction / Catch Collective / We've Taped Over Your Cassettes

The Big Gig @ Nottingham Maze

The Big Gig, originally billed as eleven bands was bumped down to nine after losing both London based acts, took place at the often overlooked Nottingham venue The Maze. Appearing early on the bill was Nottingham electronic / indie duo We've Taped Over Your Cassettes. Despite an immature stage manner to go with the few years the pair share, their creativity, musicianship and enthusiasm will all point them in a promising direction for the future.

The next band to grab some positive attention was the day's third duo, Catch Collective. Armed with a new synth player their vocalist delivered an impressively confident performance and despite not brining anything new to the guitar/synth table they manage to deliver some surprisingly anthemic bursts of song. Next up was yet another duo, Pachinkos Sex Reaction. Boasting the first female performer of the day the pair put on an angry, energetic set which was disappointingly riddled with sound problems. However, their performance was just as bizarre as their name suggests. Scantily clad in glitter and silk the vocalist gave a provocative, angry performance which lay somewhere in between the unashamed filth of Peaches and the more subtle eroticism of Karen O. Although the sound troubles made it pretty much impossible to give the band an anywhere near accurate live review Pachinko Sex Reaction most certainly showed signs of something that could definitely be very exciting.

Finally, the stage was graced by what is currently one of Nottingham's most exciting bands who are brimming with potential. Nephu Huzzband have been on the local gigging circuit for a while now and have near perfected what is an intelligent, post-punk output on record and an emotive, thrashing yet tight spectacle to behold on stage. Compared to those that played before them, the four piece seem to find the stage to be nothing but natural to take to. And while the previous bands showed hints of good things to come, Nephu Huzzband are something undeniably credible for local music fans to enthuse over and support with their internet friendship and word of mouth in the here and now.

Lauren Evett

The Stoops / Ruinetti / The Unfortunate Incident / Denby Grace

@ Sheffield Boardwalk

Denby Grace kicked off at 8ish in front of 5 people (including 2 photographers!), but a dozen or so more ambled forward to watch a lacklustre opening set. The band are usually fronted by two sisters, but tonight they were one man down and maybe this caused the lack of a spark (or maybe they had one eye on another gig they were playing elsewhere later). Certainly there was no bond with the audience and each song was met with minimal applause.

There couldn't have been a more marked difference to The Unfortunate Incident, who, amazingly, were playing their first ever gig. They tore into their first song and guitar, bass and drums meshed perfectly to create a sonic wall of channelled and controlled aggression. Singer and guitarist Russ Palmer looked like Clark Kent, but there was no timidity in his singing nor in his crystal clear guitar lines. He played with a real assurance, as did brother Dan on bass and John Peacock on drums. They sounded like Husker Du, who on their night were an amazing live band. I can't wait to see them again.

Ruinetti are so enamoured of Oasis, they could be a tribute band. They are fronted by a rent-a-Liam, who swears and swaggers like a clone. The guitarist, although proficient, must be in his 50's and was embarrassing with his faux laddishness. They sang a song with the refrain 'There's a teapot going round the sun' together with choreographed hand movements. It approached 'The Birdie Song' in its banality. Despite all of this, they did play a few decent songs and if they prune the setlist and the line-up, they could emerge fairly unscathed. Otherwise, they could turn into Cigarettes and Ovaltine.

The Stoops are a young 5-piece who played their first gig here 2-odd years ago. They have benefited since by playing regularly in the local pubs and clubs and, although the drums, bass and keyboards were pretty lightweight, this was compensated by the front two. Dale and Sam played off each other well and they alternated lead vocals and guitar duties admirably. The 10-song set was littered with some real pearls (though 'Same Thing' was litigiously close to another band's 'Mardy Bum'). One to watch.

Pete Martin

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