T on the Fringe: The Dead 60s @ The Liquid Room

The clocks went back tonight in the Liquid Room, but for a limited time only, as we regressed back to an era dominated by Thatcherism and JR Ewing. And if there was a sitcom based around a Scottish ska band, it would star The Amphetameanies. The larger than life dad, flirtatious MILF and "bonkers" first born were all present and correct, all in equally stereotypical proportions. Not so convincing, though, is their music. Over reliant on their zany stage presence, whilst forgetting that Madness also had brilliant tunes to boot, this one would go the way of Eldorado.

Stealing the show, then, was never the issue, but The Dead 60s did it anyway. The band has not enjoyed as meteoric a rise as stablemates The Zutons and The Coral (not that fortune has eluded them). Ironic then that "meteoric" is the perfect word to describe this performance (appropriately ushered in by an inconsolable siren). As relentless as it was fleeting, this was a rally through the guts of their debut LP. Singles Loaded Gun, Ghost Faced Killer and the exceptional Riot Radio were always going to be crowd pleasers, but new song, Stand Up, threatened to upstage their back catalogue. After incessant touring, The Dead 60s have become a polished live act. They were all singing from the same hymn sheet, even if all the songs were written with the same pen. Sure, they sound a bit like The Clash without the political conviction, but they breeze through the Liquid Room like a breath of fresh air. [Finbarr Bermingham]