Trinity + The Dawn Chorus + Kurt Cooder + AngelGear - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 03/03/06.

Another decent turn out at my home from home, Messclean, and it would appear that openers AngelGear, who are introduced as Angel Fire and have now changed their name to something else apparently just to confuse everyone, have brought a fair few of them down with them. What is clear from the off is that the band is made up of some seriously talented musicians who play well crafted folksy rock and while on a personal level it doesn't particularly float my boat, one can't help but admire their playing skills and the soulful twin female vocals that accompany them. There is no denying that the two feisty ladies fronting AngelGear are a joy to watch as they preen and pose like seasoned professionals, they add a spark to the band and have everyone eating out of their hands by the end of a successful set.

Next up is the local legend that is Kurt Cooder, man of mystery, urban poet with fingers in many pies and various other things if rumours are to be believed. Tonight he is playing solo, just him and his electric guitar and while at times he may be a bit too close to the bone for many to stomach you can't help but love his tales of Portsmouth and it's people. He gives us songs about dogging and fucking, Elm Grove and his daughter in a rollercoaster of emotions that bring to mind a deranged mix of Billy Bragg and John Cooper Clarke; at one point he invites someone on stage just to confirm he has the word 'cunt' tattooed behind his ear and then sings about being beaten up on the streets of Portsmouth. There is no doubt that this man has lived through each song scenario, soaking up the local life, the daily struggle to survive and he paints vivd images with his strong words and in your face tunes. It is an excellent set that is not just enjoyable musically but leaves one thinking over the lyrics and the stories told.

The Dawn Chorus are a more upbeat affair, bouncy indie rock in the vein of a more direct The Coral with some nice quirky twists and turns that delight the dedicated fans they have brought along with them; enough so to encourage one young lady to shout out "I want your babies!", now there's dedication for you! They are a confident young group who produce very tuneful material and I found myself tapping my foot along during many of their songs and you can't knock a band who has a bass player wearing a Brian Jonestown Massacre t-shirt can you? It could be argued that the local population took little notice at first but I think The Dawn Chorus won over a fair few new fans as the set progressed and those that like decent tunes would be well advised to keep an eye for them as their is plenty here to indicate that they will produce even better material in the future.

Trinity played Messclean once before and I pondered upon the wisdom of opening your set with a cover version but here they are doing it again and while it is a rip roaring run through 'This Is Love' by PJ Harvey that the good lady herself would be proud of, one can't help feel that it would be better served as an encore or set closer as it kind of casts a shadow over their own material. That said, Trinity are a sparkling female fronted indie trio who play a nice line in indie pop and while they may be a little plain to watch, the tunes glitter and sparkle in places and they are not beyond knocking out some fine songs of their own. Amy Morgan cuts a fine figure with her electric blue guitar and a voice to match while Mike Fowler and James Birt support her with a solid rhythm section on bass and drums respectively; what they lack in glamour they make up for in fine little noisy pop nuggets that ping around the room and considering they are from out of town they do a stirling job in keeping the crowd in until the bitter end which is testament to their hard work and tunes.

So go check them out on MySpace and have a listen, they are a bit shy and could do with having a few more people listen to those tasty little glittering tunes and just look at that guitar, what more could you ask for on a Friday night...probably helps that Amy is holding it mind, I think she took a little of each Messclean heart home with her!