Supergrass/The Libertines

One of the singles of the year (‘What A Waster’), half a classic debut album (Up The Bracket) and a certifiable lunatic of a mainman (Pete Doherty); with all that going for them it’s understandable that expectations are high as The Libertines take to the stage. Unfortunately, the sense of occasion seems to be lost on the Londoners who exude the air of a very bored band at soundcheck. As if their wholesale ignoring of the crowd isn’t bad enough, Doherty & Co. spend almost as much time tuning-up between songs as they do playing them.

To be fair, the likes of ‘…Waster’ and ‘I Get Along’ are quality Small Faces-meet-The Strokes fare, but are delivered with such studied disinterest that you soon stop giving a fuck yourself.

Supergrass are a bit lacking in visceral thrills themselves, but make up for it with their natural matiness and corking back catalogue.

Actually, the new stuff’s not bad either with the T.Rex-a-like ‘Seen The Light’, ‘Brecon Beacons’ and ‘Grace’ all getting an early run out. Afforded a whopping nine out of ten in these pages, Life On Other Planets may be the ’Grass’ most consistent album yet, but it lacks the killer punch of, say, ‘Moving’ which provides the first shiver-down-the-spine moment of the night. The second comes when Gaz Coombes regresses six years and barks out a ferocious ‘Caught By The Fuzz’.

Supergrass mightn’t be as intense as Primal Scream, or insanely pogo-able as The Hives, but they don’t half put a smile on your face.