IT'S BEEN a bit grim up North since Ash became chart regulars. True, The Divine Comedy have made the top 30 a better, more decent place with their pop whimsy, but in terms of cheesegrater riffs there's been little to float one's boat.

It's no wonder then that co.uk have been hailed in certain circles as saviours - the Belfast trio upholding the proud Ulster tradition of beating the crap out of your instruments, while still displaying a penchant for the Beach Boys.

Brainwash is their debut "micro-album", a seven-tracker which gathers together all of their singles and B-sides to date. As undeniably moshpit-friendly as they are, the band's real virtue lies in them being able to write hooks that even the Elephant Man could hang his hat on.

Pick of the bunch is 'Influenced', a breakneck three-minute romp which genuinely deserves to be bracketed with the likes of 'Teenage Kicks' and 'Kung-Fu'. I don't know what John Peel made of the blighter, but I haven't been able to listen to it yet without hitting the repeat button. Imagine a less earnest Foo Fighters mixed with The Wildhearts at their most poptastic, and you've an idea of the aural pleasures that await.

Far from being a fluke, 'Big Green Bath' and 'Not Today' suggest that co.uk are able to knock out insanely hummable tunes at will. They also deserve a manly slap on the back for their lyrics which, while stopping short of Mensa membership, are far more intelligent than the hard rock norm. Indeed, with his keen observational eye and mischievous sense of humour, there are times when mainman Joe Brush could pass for Damon Albarn's bolshy younger brother. No matter that he's only knee high to Gordan Strachan, the boy's a star!

There's still work to be done though, as witnessed by the aimless grunge thrash of 'Freakazoid', and 'Heroes' which commits the cardinal sin of sounding a bit like Bryan Adams. Fortunately, there's no Mel C or sense of them genuinely wanting to bland out. A record company dickie-bird says that there won't be any of that sort of nonsense when their first album proper emerges in May. If that's the case, there's no stopping them.