Monday 06/01/03 Nylon Pylon @ Barfly, Liverpool

In the wake of The Music's steady rise from hotly tipped young things to a smash debut album and a headline gig at Brixton Academy, cutting there teeth at every grubby "toilet" worth playing on the way, could we at last be returning to those halcyon days of gigging your arse off to prove your worth? Shortly to be supporting Kippax's finest on their UK tour, Oldham's Nylon Pylon are further proof that endeavour, plus some pretty fine tunes, equate to a fair claim to the crown of the nations best new band.

Playing tonight at the Barfly as a warm up for The Music support slot, it's both immediately apparent and logical why these two bands from either side of the Pennines are such happy touring bed fellows. Both have that unmistakable groove, an automatic by-product of a dance inflected record collection. But where The Music favour psychedelic, retro wig outs, for Nylon Pylon its the subtle merging of electronica to some great pop hooks - Lo Fi Allstars style - that makes them so damn danceable.

Belying the two years that they've been together and displaying the sort of confidence only usually reserved for bands with a successful second album under their belts, Nylon Pylon more than adequately justify their hotly tipped tag tonight. Driven by the precision drumming of Bo Walsh with keys and samples carefully layered rather splattered haphazardly, its then left to Stubbsy (Bass and Vocals) and Bruce (Guitars and Vocals) to craft the pop base upon which everything else comfortably hangs.

Occasionly, when the eclectic influences don't sit so comfortably side by side, there is a touch of the EMF's or Jesus Jones's about the Pylons, but more often than not its that pop nous and a good tune that see's them ably through. With the added bonus of a fresh faced appeal that should see them equally at home on CD:UK as the smaller venues which saw them prove there worth, one would be be both stupid and naiive to predict anything but good things for NP!

Photos by Andy Day