ninehertz

Now this is the type of gig you want to see more of in your home town. A couple of excellent bands - one a local rising talent, the other a favourite from out of town - in a cool little venue for just a few quid. The style of the bands differs tremendously, but this actually adds to the enjoyment of the night.

Nottingham's Bumsnogger have been around a little while now, and with the new line-up seemingly settled in, appear to be reaching new heights. They sound better every time I see them, and tonight is no different. What is surprising every time, even if you have witnessed the 'snogger live experience before, is the tunefulness of the music - something you don't really associate with a double-vocal sludge assault, and especially with the pre-conceived notions that arise with their name. It's a fantastic half hour of metal (although possibly slightly bewildering to those who came to see the jazz-fusion band that opened the night) and hopefully the recordings due for later in the year will manage to capture the quality on display tonight.

I'd seen Dirty Blood before - supporting Alabama Thunderpussy recently in what I believe was their debut gig. Not that there's much possibility of stage fright tonight, only a few weeks later - because Dirty Blood are made up of members past and present of Number One Son, Future Ex Wife and The Human League. So what does this concoction of rock and pop mismatches from South Yorkshire sound like? Southern-fried, Skynyrd-loving all-out rock, of course! Already they're looking an excellent, crowd-pleasing band and you sense that, if they want (and it's not definite that they do) and day jobs permitting, they can go far. What's key to their sound, which also throws up reminders of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and the looser end of Queens of the Stone Age, is that it never sounds cheesy, and never appears to be played purely as some self-indulgent homage. This can partly be contributed to vocalist Danni Maibaum - her delivery (and not just gender) ensures a difference from other acts plying similar veins of rock. To say "PJ Harvey fronting a rawk 'n' roll band" would be a bit too obvious, not to mention wrong (and may even highlight my shameful lack of female vocalist knowledge) - so I won't...but you'd probably get the idea.

It's a great set, thoroughly enjoyable and, with the beers a'flowing, a great way to spend your Wednesday night.