麻豆社

The Vice and Underground Heroes | Plug 'n' Play | Milford Road | Reading | 07.05.08

It's a balmy evening perfumed with the charcoal smoke of a thousand barbecues, but die-hard music fans risked sweating inside the intimate and dark Plug 'n' Play venue for a night of raucous rock.

Andy from The Vice (C) Adam Ososki

The Black & White music gig was abuzz with animated chatter from girls in summer dresses and lads with hippy hair - all waiting to hear Reading six-piece The Vice and London's Underground Heroes. As was I.

From the outset The Vice deliver roaringly brilliant rock 'n' roll that stupendously mines the seams of Stones' roadhouse riffs.

A wig shop of hair flails while fretboards of the three guitarists clamp down powerful crunching skuzz.

Singer Sam could outdo Mick Jagger, Johnny Borrell and Caleb Followill of Kings Of Leon in the primal gut-shivering call-to-arms stakes.

Single Mont Brilliant is an immediately melodic and outstanding track that meanders delicately round a campfire-lit night in snowy Switzerland, while Russian Winter and Sanctuary are other bolshy electrifying tracks to listen out for.

It's set of Woodstock wailings and gritty gallops, it's a set of agonised mouths and laughing eyes, it's a set of impassioned vitality and louche bluesy indolence.

They'll have you in a vice grip and you'll want it to stay that way.

George from Underground Heroes (C) Adam Ososki

Headlining are London's Underground Heroes, who sound like an untamed ska-fueled clash between The Jam and The Subways.

Furious and pacy, guitarist George effortlessly screeches out cockney exhileration in the voice of a ten-year-old and with the attitude of the Artful Dodger.

With tracks such as Skin And Bone and Stella The Mistress we're sprayed with steamy underground indie punk at its most throbbing and intense.

Just the tonic for the heat of the night.