The Sportiques + Rolling Dog + Thomas Truax + The Exits - Messclean, Portsmouth. 30.09.05

The Exits are fast becoming another of those 'must see' Portmouth based bands as word starts to spread about this fine group. Tonight, as openers, they deliver a short but wonderful set of their fine sounds, incorporating elements of the past with big synth lines but fusing it with modern guitars and taught beats to make something very modern and unique. Bands that spring to mind would be Kasabian but while they have taken bits of the past and have ended up sounding the same as those bands they have stolen from, The Exits seem to have wandered down a new path that has you hearing things you recognise but reorganised and mutated into something shiny and at times quite breathtaking. What is great is the way it is delivering tunes with a big pop hook but in a cool way, music to sing to, music to dance to and above all songs that actually stick in the brain after one listen which is quite an achievement. Onwards and upwards for The Exits I feel.

I've been looking forward to Thomas Truax since I found out he was appearing and one look at his website will tell you why. This American solo artist is also an inventor of strange instruments such as his drum machine 'Sister Spinster' and 'The Hornicator' and I am pleased to see they let him into the country with them. Now it has to be said that the sound is not always the best as places like Messclean and Thomas suffers at times when the crowd finds it difficult to hear some of his fine tunes but he is a man of good humour and what could be a hostile crowd take to this charming man in no time at all. He is at his best when strumming along with sister spinster keeping time, a mix of blues and country delivered with a fine voice; at one point he unplugs the guitar and takes a walk down the bar singing to individuals and standing on tables, a true entertainer. At times the wonderful creations take over and fun is had while he experiments and while it loses the plot in the middle somewhat you can't help but be won over by the charm and wit of Mr.Truax.

Looking to break out of Portsmouth, Rolling Dog have been creating a bit of a name for themselves and this performance has me convinced that they may just make it. Delivering a blistering set of arty alt rock they look just the part in their matching black outfits and ties, add on the boyish charm with good looks and you have a band who would look good in any magazine. RD have that kind of sound that borders on commercial but retains enough scuzzy rough edges to please the rest of us and it's easy to see why they describe it as indiedancecore as the foot starts to tap followed by whatever else it is you like to shake. It's an original sound with hints of punked up garage and indie and they should be able to appeal to the NME crowd while still retaining some credibility.

The Sportiques are launching an album tonight so have a few fans in to support their fun blend of garage and surf rock. While they may not be the most original band in the world it's fine music for drinking beer to and having a laugh; they pay tribute to local legends The Green Hornets by covering a song and inviting a couple of members of said band to venture on stage and do backing vocals, an impressive sight and probably the best song of the set. It gives a party atmosphere to the end of the night and leaves people with big grins and a nice happy feeling inside.