Flying Columns and The 83s, live at Metro 17, Wexford

Flying Columns are leaping and bounding ever onward, premiering three new songs tonight. 'Hope' brings a new subtlety to the brash guitar-driven confidence that at times evokes Bloc Party, while ‘Middle Room’ has Zeppelin undertones. ‘Tet Magasin’ is, as always, a real crowd-pleaser, and they gave a testosterone boost to Girls Aloud’s ‘Love Machine’ and really cut loose with a sizzling ‘Model Town’.

In Darragh Robinson’s guitar-playing, The 83s have a class act, and the trio peaked when he took vocal duties for their cover of ‘Purple Haze’. Indeed, their ‘Speedy’ had a Hendrix-like fluidity to the playing while maintaining a rugged rawness. ‘Cider Can Picnic’ has a slow, drifting guitar figure that floats neatly against the vocals, and ‘On Your Bike’ is a fine example of their trademark boogie-thrash. But somehow they failed to set the audience alight, so it was no great shock when Flying Columns got the nod from the Wexford electorate.