Assembly Now - Leigh On Sea

Assembly Now have been championed by Steve Lamacq - but despite jerky guitars and an anguished vocal, there is little to distinguish them from any other of the New Wave impersonators clawing at the coat tails of Franz Ferdinand's success. A brief solo in the middle eight hints at a cubist pop inventiveness, and there is no question that the boys believe in their music: they fail, however, to inject much sincere urgency, originality or imagination into such short bursts of energy. [Gareth K Vile]