I was dead (mind the pun) excited to see the Dead 60s again (actually even more so than the 'Phonics!), especially as they had to cancel their Friday set at Glastonbury 2005 due to the Other Stage flooding!

They were certainly on top form last night and really warmed up the crowd; Matt McManamon and co. gave the audience an aural treat, playing a modest 7 song set from their much anticipated album ‘Dead 60s’ released on 26th September - 13 tracks which provide a hauntingly yet realistic commentary on life in cities.

This 4 piece band have such a refreshingly unique sound differentiating them from other Scouse bands such as The Coral and Zutons - an eclectic blend of reggae, punk (and funk), dub and ska - not to mention the occasional bongo, hooray, which reflect their varied influences, from The Cure and Jamaican ska, to Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Additionally, the spooky spidery guitar playing, catchy riffs, infectious lyrics, and sound effects such as sirens and falling rain, provoked and excited the senses, and I was tempted to get up and skank on the spot! The songs flowed nicely, from the mellow ‘You Get Low’ and the chilled and spooky ‘Loaded Gun’, to the catchy and infectiously poppy Top 20 hit ‘Riot Radio’, ending with the reggaey ‘You’re Not the Law’. Although the band were slightly shy with the audience, they were obviously comfortable performing, and Matt’s party trick is playing his guitar with a drumstick! Visually, there was only a red album cover in the background, and the bands’ distinctive Fred Perry polo necks. Sexy.

After about 30 minutes of classic rock tunes playing in the background in the interval, the arena darkened, the busy spotlight show (and artistic visual panels in the background) commenced and Mr Jones (sporting some rather large shades and a leather bomber jacket) and his Welsh posse came onto stage to rapturous applause. Beginning with ‘Superman’ from their 5th album (the fourth to hit the no. spot) ‘Language.Sex.Violence.Other’ their 90 minute+ set took us on a journey through all five albums, with a balance of the more upbeat catchy rock songs, such as ‘Madame Helga’ and ‘Bartender and the Thief’, to the more melodic and reflective ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ and ‘Devil’ which was being offered as a downloadable live track. Personally, I wish they'd stuck to the upbeat ones, as the slower songs did bore me and others slightly! Arguably, some of their best tracks were from their debut 1997 album ‘Word Gets Around’ such as the anthemic ‘1,000 Trees’, a big happy sing-along, to ‘Life is Better than a Tramps Vest’, proceeded by Kelly Jones telling the audience a most comical anecdote about his past as a fruit and vegetable seller, and meeting this girl one night… which got the crowd laughing and cheering!

An impressive but predictable encore saw the band closing with the moving and heartfelt ‘Just Looking’, and their recent but first Number 1 hit ‘Dakota’, which is incredibly catchy and slightly dream-like. We left the Hammersmith Apollo with sore throats, hot and sweaty, but feeling warm inside, a sure sign of a good gig!