Wednesday 06/04/05 The Deadbeats @ Jabez Clegg, Manchester

Since winning the opportunity to take to the stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival, interest in The Deadbeats is understandably on the rise – illustrated tonight by a venue that is buzzing with anticipation.  The audience is a mix of those who are already converted to their bluesy rock’n’roll styling and those eager to see what the fuss is all about, so can they live up to the hype?

The Deadbeats, except bassist Dom Kozubik, perform from the comfort of chairs, but this doesn’t hinder an energetic and charismatic stage presence.  Beginning with the infectious ‘Cat Got The Cream’, the band foot-stomp through a set that soon has the audience dancing along.  Simon Fairbairn is like Animal from The Muppets, yet his thunderous drumming doesn’t overshadow the melodies on the likes of ‘Bang Brother Bang’, which gets rapturous applause.  ‘Get On The Beat’ features brilliant piano work from Jo Dudderidge and is carried on the effective bass line of Kozubik, whilst ‘Emptying My Pockets’ confirms the band have a knack for incredibly catchy songs.

‘My Wheels Are Turning’ has a bluesy sound, emphasised by frontman Sam Hammond’s deployment of a harmonica, before the tempo is taken up in ‘Moonshine’.  Luke Daniel adds his vocals to a track that is stupendously contagious, then ‘Million Dollar Man’ ends a triumphant performance.  The Deadbeats surpass all expectations, sound confident like they’ve been together for years, and have songs that you’ll find hard to forget.  This year’s Glastonbury debut surely won’t be their last festival appearance.