The Music

The Leeds four-piece are hyped as the band to reunite the guitar-loving masses, a beacon for all manner of Madchester revivalists and Stone Roses-ophiles, a welcome distraction for those confused by the decline of that Oasis, fresh meat for those who still find comfort in listening to early Verve.

Having recently popped their chart cherry with a Top 20 entry for their re-released single ‘Take The Long Road And Walk It’ , The Music already have a devoted audience, who shout out album tracks from the band’s self-titled debut.

What’s impressive is how they manage to reproduce the epic sound of the album, with an aurally competitive blaze of samples, funky basslines and John Squire-ish guitars, all nailed together by Robert Harvey’s improbable vocals. A tiny, curly headed bawl of energy, he has a voice that seems to emanate from somewhere beyond his physical frame, soaring upwards and evaporating into the ether.

Throughout the gig, the same sound prevails, occasionally becoming slower, more transcendently dreamy on songs like ‘Human’ and ‘Truth Is No Words’, but inevitably returning to the same old ‘soaring intensity’ thing.

Although initially exhilarating, it’s too overindulgent for my taste, but the crowd’s enthusiasm increases exponentially with it’s mass, as more and more mop-headed boys crowd forward to gaze with rapt adoration. The Music certainly have a market.