Friday 24/11/06 My Vitriol, The Cinematics @ KOKO, London

My Vitriol are the self-proclaimed Guns ‘n Roses of the indie rock world. Three songs into tonight’s comeback gig, and frontman Som Wardner is already answering heckles about the fan’s agonising wait for a new album. “I’ve heard that question every day of my life for the last three years,” he replies wearily. “We are the new Guns ‘n Roses, thank you.”

There’s more chance of establishing democracy in China before GNR’s next album appears, but the tortuous wait for My Vitriol’s next long player continues. To put into perspective how different things were back when ‘Finelines’ was rocking Gigwise’s little world in 2000, Coldplay were just a yellow blip on a stadium-shaped horizon; The Libertines were lying prostrate on beer-stained floors of grotty east end pubs; a bunch of fresh-faced Dubliners from JJ72, now defunct, were tipped for greatness; terrorists weren’t flying planes into buildings. Entire political regimes have been and gone in that time.

In indie rock terms, ice ages have passed in the time it’s taken Som and co. to do, well, what ever it is they've been doing these last five years. An infuriating prospect at the best of times, Som’s brain pulverising guitar riffs and metaphysical lyrics would make Billy Corgan baulk. My Vitriol are a band loved and lambasted in equal measure - and that’s just by their own purple ink letter writing, Nine Inch Nails-not-gloomy-enough fans.

Old habits die hard; My Vitriol arrive on stage half an hour late. But when you’ve been waiting for as long as this Gigwise scribe, it’s a blink of an eye. Support act The Cinematics, do an admirable job of staving off a salivating crowd. Propelled by Scott Rinning's vocal acrobatics, and Cure influenced guitars, the Glaswegian quartet power through a host of tracks off their forthcoming album 'Strange Education', including singles 'Break' and 'Chase', which takes in the best moments of Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode, and Boy-era U2. Like the band on next, great things are soon expected.