Monday 12/05/03 The Zutons, The Basement @ Academy, Liverpool

There's a celebratory air about tonight's gig. The Coral's midsummer night's gig looks like being a zeitgeist defining party on par with Spike Island, Noel G is desperate to grab a ride on The Bandits' Bandwagon and The Stands have just been signed. At the centre of all it all stands the Deltasonic label whose Factory style definition of the Liverpool sound looks to be all conquering. The Midas touch approach, which has served the label so well, has certainly extended to The Zutons who tonight are a revelation. They've undergone a huge transformation from the densely psychedelic freak out band of their early gigs to today's altogether more sparse and streamlined beast. Crucial to this sparkling new sound is saxophonist Abby who's moody textures envelope nearly every song in a menacingly off beat fog.

Lead singer Dave McCabe's voice is a thing of wonder too as he croons his sorry tales of escape and heartbreak like a prospector who's lost his pan. The titles say it all with 'Nightmare #1' quickly following a hauntingly sad Nobody Loves Me. The effect is akin to how you suspect The Doors might have gone on to sound if Jimbo hadn't had a bath with even Creepin' and a Crawlin's potentially amusing backing vocals failing to detract from the frontier ghost town ambience. Only on freak beat closer Zuton Fever do they truly cut loose in a Beefheart style but by then the job is most assuredly done.

Headliners The Basement arrive with critical praise being heaped upon the Dylan-esque rasp of their singer's voice and it is indeed a powerful tool. However, as good as it is after song after song of being exposed to John Mullin's Anglo-Irish whine he can't half sound like Mike Scott of The Waterboys. The Basement are decent enough, but lack the magpie-style influences of many of their labelmates. Theirs is a one-dimensional toe-tapping bash through the skiffle tinged sound of Mersey past — with, it has to be said, a heavy nod towards Lee Mavers and co. They undoubtedly take their cue from the paranoid speed driven rhythms of Dylan's 'Subterranean Home Sick Blues' (the source of their name too allegedly) but it's the more melodic harmony driven ballads were really shine tonight. Huge potential undoubtedly, but if they are going to emulate their more interesting tour mates you suspect they're going to have to mix up a great deal more than just medicine.

Photos by Shelly Turner :: shelly@gigwise.com