Thursday 24/04/03 Smilex, The Young Knives, Kenosha @ Royal Park Cellars, Leeds

Three different takes on guitar punk show that, 25 years on there is still life to be squeezed out of the most basic of musical forms. The first prong of a double-headed Oxford assault, Smilex are the most stylistically retro of the bands tonight, pitched somewhere between the unabashed melody of The Buzzcocks and the shouty froth of X-Ray Spex. Throw in a miniature frontman spouting verbal diarrhoea like Rik in the Young Ones, and you have a band at once entertaining and irritating, a killer combination in the right balance. Fellow Oxfordians The Young Knives play a polished set of jerky Pixies-esque tunes punctuated by J Mascis soloing. They spread the highlights a little thin over the too-long set, but have a certain undeniable charm about them.

Leeds' own Kenosha have been quiet of late, but tonight's short, confident headlining set is a suitable reaffirmation of their abilities. Taking the post-Pavement American college scene as their blueprint, they play an accessible, melody-driven guitar pop it's difficult to find fault with. Their youthful appearance belies the obvious wealth of experience under their belts, and their playing is finely honed yet ragged enough to stay vibrant. On occasion the powerhouse drummer threatens to overwhelm the others, but they raise their game to stay with him. There is the worry that their sound is sometimes too close to that of their heroes, and that their clean-cut approach could benefit from an increase of aggression, but with songs this playful and lively, it's a small quibble.