Christian Ewen

CHOOSING one of your best songs to open a gig with is always a surefire sign of confidence.

And it was with Pounding that the Mancunian trio made their presence felt in a rammed Manchester Apollo.

After curtly ticking off a member of the audience for impolitely throwing a bottle, singer/bassist Jimi Goodwin settled down and pooled his energies into the music, venturing stage-front to flash big grins to the masses.

The sound was overwhelmingly powerful - every crack of the snare and every rumble on the bass shook the foundations of the venue. Add to that thousands of people pogoing in unison, it's small wonder the place didn't crumble.

This only added to the impact of the tunes - big songs need a big sound. Simple as that.

Looking on from the rafters, I was delighted with the set-list. Words, Black and White Town and The Last Broadcast were aural euphoria of the highest standards.

It was The Cedar Room however, my personal favourite, which had me joining in mouthing the words with everyone else.

There Goes The Fear was meticulously performed - and I still enjoyed it even when I thought my ribcage was going to cave in at the song's finale.

Though you don't concern yourself with such things when bands sound as good as this.