Saturday 11/02/06 This Ain't Vegas, That F**king Tank, At No Star, October All Over @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford

This Vacuous Pop night is labelled in the same way that the huge singer from Ultrasound is labelled 'Tiny'. The exception to that statement comes with some Placebo-like moments in October All Over's set. However, O.A.O. are better when rocking speedy guitar experimentation over the drummer's 1930's swing-jazz beat. Like peanut butter and jelly, that combination looks wrong on paper, but is actually great.

At No Star also impress with what sounds like Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs played by Mogwai. The bass is muscular and the guitars chime beautifully, like a half-full glass of water tapped by balsa wood. The glass goes from half-full to half-empty when That ****ing Tank start playing. While At No Star showed how to do instrumental music properly, T.F.T. don't, to put it politely. Not that they're fans of politeness, with a name like that. They're a drummer and a guitarist. The Wheatsheaf is an appropriately-titled venue for this corny music. It sounds like '80's metal showboating, but the crowd like it. It's not a surprise when the guitarists top comes off. His guitar isn't visible from the back of the room and he's writhing about; this must be what it's like to unwillingly land in a dogging situation.
                  
This is This Ain't Vegas' first time back playing in these parts since their performance of the weekend at last summers Truck festival. Tonight is another good show. What do they put in the water in Sunderland? Like the Futureheads, T.A.V. feature spot-on vocal harmonies and danceable music. They are like At the Drive-In musically, although that might be an inappropriate comparison. Sunderland is the biggest city in Europe without a cinema and Drive-In's are a type of cinema. It wasn't meant as a taunt.