Sweet n Sour at the Welly Club 22/07/2004 Kasabian/Mad Action/The Landaus By Andy Dykes

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Photograph Gallery   The Landaus Gallery 1   The Landaus Gallery 2   Mad Action Gallery 1   Mad Action Gallery 2   Kasabian Gallery 1   Kasabian Gallery 2

Outside the Welly Club tonight there's thunder, lightning and heavy rain. The bouncers pass umbrellas down the queue so that the line of punters waiting to get in can stay as dry as possible. I'm told that there aren't as many people here as last week. This is only the second time that the Welly has put on its Sweet n Sour night, and I'm worried that the weather's going to keep people away.

Inside, the Welly Club looks great. It's far more glamorous than the outside would have you believe. Even before the bands come on, the lighting is superb, casting colours all round the room, and the massive sound system is booming out some classic tunes.

At just after half past nine The Landaus breeze on stage, all smiles and easy charm. The singer appears to be eating an apple, a big thumbs up to all the fruitarians out there. They kick off the show solidly, but it's the third song in that they really start rocking. A slow, brooding affair, the third song they play sees The Landaus at their strongest, tightest and most thoughtful.

It's hard to place The Landaus sound. When they announce a song as "a bit funky" they sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. At other times they sound like a raucous Shed 7, The Strokes, perhaps Spinal Tap and at one point a little like Electric 6. Their song Make Your Move sounds like a familiar cross between Eagle-eye Cherry and Iggy Pop.

Throughout the show, the whole band is on form and look as though they're enjoying themselves. The drumming is particularly powerful and impressive, and sets the standard for the quality of drumming for the rest of the evening. At times, The Landaus' raw sound comes across a little scrappy, but this is a band still in its early stages, and they're working hard and moving fast. I don't even think they've been together a year. They'll get tighter.

If there's one concern for The Landaus it's that there sound is a little generic: it's very now. If they're going to make it big, and I think they could, this next year is going to be crucial. Before I went to the gig, I knew nothing about Mad Action who are the second band on tonight. I ask a couple of people in the crowd, and they know nothing either. So it's with an open mind that I - and I think most people in the Welly club - greet their arrival on stage.

They open with weird noises and chaos, and suddenly burst into their opening number. It's a hard hitting, busy, dynamic, psychedelic, exciting track. On stage there seems to be a lot happening. All the players are totally in to what they're doing, and they look very cool doing it, despite sharing haircuts with Simon and Garfunkel. It's a great opening to what turns into an awesome set.

The second track opens with some electro-synth beats and takes an even darker, more brooding direction. It's quite a sensitive effort, laced with melody and some pretty three-way harmonies. By this, their second track, they've showcased a wide range of talent. I've not been this excited about a new band for a long time.

Their sound is very much their own. I struggle to find comparisons with other bands. At one point they sound like Supergrass but darker and just..better. Some of their heavier, more riff based moments echo Black Rebel Motorcycle Club a little, but to be honest I'm just clutching at straws. They've pretty much got their own sound nailed. Again, the drumming in this band is an ever present power.

Mad Action are impressively tight given the twists and turns their songs take. This is the first time I've heard anything by them and I'm totally into what they're doing. I look forward to hearing more. I'm then delighted by the news that I'm going to get to interview them at the end of the evening.

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