Sunday 18/05/03 Mogwai, Kling Klang @ Masque Theatre, Liverpool

Watching Kling Klang these days is so much more exciting than it used to be. In the olden days, their Kraftwerk-esque drones were intriguing, and occasionally kinda fun, but somehow far from gripping. The addition of a live drummer tightened them up, however, and since then they've gone from strength to strength. With the (fairly) recent release of the Superposition EP on Mogwai's label, and support coming from sources as unlikely as Jack Osbourne, the time is right to unleash the full scale of Liverpool's finest Krautpunks on the unsuspecting masses.

As their live performance has developed, so too has their sound. 'Song' structures now wander into territory previously explored by Dave Pajo's Slint, whilst the music itself rocks out more than they possibly envisioned. Apparent head honcho Joe is even beginning to look…well, cool, as it seems his 'Neil from The Young Ones' days may be coming to an end. It's as difficult as ever to know whether they're an avant-garde band trying to play pop music, or vice versa, but the real fun of the group is not trying to unravel the mysteries and just going with it. Basically, Kling Klang are becoming less of an oddity and more of an important, nay essential rock'n'roll band.

Similarly, Mogwai, have developed at a rapid pace since their inception, although after the majesty of 2001's 'Rock Action', it's difficult to guess exactly where they're going to go next. Opening with the veteran 'New Paths To Helicon Part 1' gives no clues, although is also a reminder of why we all fell in love with them in the first place. The transition from achingly beautiful to crushingly loud is a move the band have mastered over the years, and moments so quiet you can hear the audience whispering to one another (replete with schoolroom-esque "SSHHHHHH!" noises rippling across the theatre) blend seamlessly into ear-shattering blasts of noise which sound like God's personal spacecraft taking off. ****ing brilliant.

The new material, despite initially sounding like a regression to jangly postrock-by-numbers, adds a hitherto unheard-of factor to the 'Gwai equation: melody. Taking the ethereal beauty of Rock Action and welding it to the lush, intricate instrumentation of Aerial M (yet another Pajo-related group), the forthcoming album promises to be breathtaking. As is the triumphant, um, "single" 'My Father, My King', when finally delivered as the encore. By the time the gig has finished, this hack has lost all sense of the concept of the tune and is having slight trouble standing up, after a severe attack on the inner ear. But it was ****ing worth it.