Saturday 28/09/02 Lovecraft, Dry Retch, Kealer, Miss Black America @The Masque, Liverpool

The new students are in town, the kids have been let into the venue, and there's a sleeper bus outside the Masque… oh, and Steve Lamacq is in attendance; so it's fair to say there's a healthy buzz of anticipation around the 1st Inner City Sumo of the academic year.

Who better to kick things off than the much-talked about Lovecraft. After causing a bit of a buzz at last month's In The City and being named as one of The Independent's top new bands, they have something to prove. After tonight's performance, they still do. Opening with a strangulated keyboard Joy Division esque number, they then offer up another Joy Division esque number. And then another.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeve, but perhaps their mums could sew on another band's patch. It's early days though, and their frontman Craig P. Sinclair shows signs of developing into a schizoid of the highest order. Half term report - Must do better.

After a lengthy wait (made easier by the excellent poet Glen - the new scene's John Cooper Clarke?) Dry Retch hit the stage… and once again there's a lack of variety in the set displayed… bald eagle Aussie John does his best to whip things up a bit, but the kids aren't interested… except for two tunes. Lost in the MC5/Stooges quagmire are 'Hate the Young' - fantastic given the average age of the mosh pit is 14 - and 'Columbus Was Wrong : The World is Square' - a rollicking tune which basically ****s a badger sideways up a darkened alley… and is also the opener to the band's forthcoming LP.

Kealer. ****ing hell. Bring me the head of Jive Records on a plate. Alright, they're tight… and the singer is standardly good looking (complete with 'cool' fag in mouth throughout)… but Jesus they're shit.

It's these kind of major label dullards that have dragged the UK Music business into the gutter it currently resides in. One bland song segues into another in a 10-a-penny-on-a-Tuesday-night-at-the-Bull & Gate stylee… DON'T LET THE ****ERS UP HERE!!! HEAD THEM OFF ON THE M1!!!

Oh and they finish with a cover of Blondie's 'Union City Blue'. Why?

So we look to Miss Black America to rescue the situation. And they do…. kind of.

Seymour Glass's soapbox politics are just audible through the PA and they open with the rather ace 'Infinite Chinese Box'. The kids love 'em and so do the rest of the audience… yet it soon falls away. For every killer tune, MBA have 6 filler tunes where Seymour delivers his wannabe Richey Manic rants in a Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) fashion. Odd.

Inner City Sumo has the potential to be a great night - a regular crowd has been developed and the venue is fantastic… it's just a shame that on this night the bands and schedule weren't quite up to scratch.

Live Photos by Andy Day