The Vegastones look and sound pretty much exactly what their name suggests. Trying to mix The Velvet Underground with The Ramones plus a dash of the Rezillos is a worthy idea, except they end up sounding more like Retrogen (now renamed The Drug Squad, fact-fans), if somewhat better dressed.

Whispering Bob never fail to lift my spirits with their restrained but moving song-writing and gifted musicianship. Tonight is no exception.

The Webb Brothers are something of a surprise. Legendary dad (Jimmy Webb) references aside, we were all expecting boyish good looks, classic American song-writing and sparkling harmonies. While we get the first of these, complete with pudding-bowl haircuts that Dee Dee Ramone must be considering legal action over, the lonesome trail then runs cold. The clumsy power-chords and shouty vocals, reminiscent of Soul Asylum, lack the intensity and subtlety their familial heritage would suggest. While they are capable of producing poignant, even gentle, songs, like ‘The Liars Club’, these are largely left aside in the name of jumping about and rocking out. The most flattering comparison I can come up with is The Frank and Walters, and that takes some thinking, which must be indicative of how much they need to develop. While it might be heresy to suggest that Whispering Bob have a greater empathy with classic American music of the Sixties, it just might be true.

Art Lagun