THE BRONX
Carling Islington Academy

I have to admit to being rather apprehensive at the outset of this gig. The Islington academy is populated by a curious mix of Skate Punks, Goateed old leathery metallers and a number of girls whose uniform seems to consist of dyed black hair, standard morbidly pale complexion and blood red lipstick whacked on with a garden trowel.

The Bronx's Lead singer Matt bounds onto the stage like George Dawes on PCP demolishing the rather weak support acts that have come before. Unrelenting energy rips through the building as kids, charged by the perma shriek singin and boundless enthusiasm of their genuinely loveable frontman. It is this frontman that spends half of the night in amongst to the crowd at the front "We're all part of the same family, lets take care of each other and have some fun" They also thank the crowd stating that they have the time of their life getting drunk around the world, playing music and hanging out with folk. Good to see they have their priorities sorted. When the singer isnt on stage, the bands presence is maintained by a towering rocket of a bass player Joby, who looks like at any moment he could ignite and shoot through the roof. I wonder whether he practices the getting blown by a force ten gale look or whether its the actual physical result of the lathering crowd in the Islington academy.

Well maybe they wont convert me to a fan, but after such an ear popping ball juggernaut of a performance i wouldnt have any doubts recommending them to anyone who likes their bands fast loud and heavy.

PHIL RUST

ASSEMBLY NOW
Night and Day, Manchester

After crashing their tour bus on route up north, Assembly Now make it unscathed to the hot sticky stage of the Night and Day, where air con and decent photo lighting has yet to be discovered. Opting out of last October’s In The City, the London quartet play Manchester for the first time - and don’t disappoint while they’re at it. Fuelled with frantic energy from drummer Lush, they blast out a bouncy mixture of old skool punk and incorporate that quintessentially British rock vibe along the way. ‘It’s Magnetic’, the song that saw the band gain Steve Lamaq, Zane Lowe and John Kennedy as just some of their influential admirers, shows the fun, honest passion of modern England in a way most up-and-comers are missing of late. A tune you’ll be humming for days, it’s a fresh, energy-packed 3 minutes of playful guitars with a vocal talent and cheeky southern charm worth swooning for. A much-needed injection of dance-friendly pop songs have awakened this dark, moist cave of a venue, and we’ll welcome them back very soon. If roller-skating in the park with a walkman were as cool now as it was in the eighties, Assembly Now would have pride of place on your mix tape.

When this lot get on the road with Liverpool wonder kids, The Wombats, don’t miss out. Look forward to more originality-per-sweat-bead than the indie punk scene has known since the nineties’ Brit Pop explosion. Bring on ‘07!

KELLY MURRAY