FLUSHED!

PULP
DIG VIS DRILL
Bristol Old Profanity Showboat

DIG VIS DRILL have leafleted the boat with an encouragingly bolshie document and are the owners of some great titles, viz,'I'm Hip I'm Vain' and 'Fix The Kitchen'. These are played at an intense volume through swamping keyboards, relentlessly beat-skipping beat-boxes and two screeching voices. They had a nice computer which malfunctioned - (a very Sheffield touch, that). You could make a case for DVD's being a fierce virus coming to wipe out sanitised pop pap; well you might but I thought it was godawful. Like the attitude, guys.

Pulp, also from Sheffield, swathe the stage in Andrex before turning on and tuning up. They also give rise to two questions. Why do tall singers with glasses always end up doing David Byrne contortions? Why do Velvet sounding bands always have girls playing plinky plonk keyboards?

After two dreadful punky things. Pulp move on to 'Fairground' which carries the grand dramatic style of The Scars - recited poetry and menacing synth. 'Don't You Know?' was the evening's highlight, a wistful little 'Caroline Says' thing with a delicious slide guitar. Much of the remainder strayed into the jovial land of John Cale with a violin and moody synth-noises providing the canvas for Tim Cocker [sic] to bear his soul, flail about and tear toilet paper off the ceiling.

Somehow, it's nice to think that there is a far comer of Sheffield that will forever be experimental and out on a limb. Even if it's not very good. Because it's not very good.

Campbell Stevenson