In general, the whole point of support bands is to keep the audience occupied before the main attraction, while being careful not to out-do or upstage the headlining act. While The Long Blondes and Clor just about beat away the boredom while I waited for Stephen Malkmus, they did little else of merit. The Long Blondes had everything your indie-loving ArtRocker reader could possibly want - haircuts, vintage clothing, disco-esque drumbeats and onstage posturing, but they spectacularly failed to show even the tiniest spark of that quality so rare in current bands: Originality. Clor made The Long Blondes look particularly amateurish with superior musicianship and more of an onstage presence, but they also succeeded in being almost entirely derivative.

Thank the Gods for Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, who took the stage and pierced the dense fog of mediocrity left by their support bands. A few seconds into their first song, I had completely forgotten the non-bands I had just spent an hour watching, and remembered why I was there in the first place. Malkmus' winning formula of pleasing melodies, outstanding guitar work and quaintly odd lyrics is still hugely enjoyable. The set consisted mainly of songs from new album Face the Truth (Matador), which is usually annoying but in this case was ultimately rewarding as the new material easily stood up to the quality of the old. There were some recurring technical problems during the set but Malkmus, a live veteran of at least 13 years, soldiered on admirably. Less easy to admire were the occasional musical tangents the band took during their songs. Such jams might work well for a Led Zeppelin cover band but they felt out of place and indulgent when attempted by The Jicks.

On the whole it was another assured and sparkling performance from Malkmus and his merry crew of soft-rocking companions. While Malkmus may have peddling his own unique brand of rock for years now, it's still far more original than most other bands around. The Jicks brought to the stage a freshness that was sorely lacking before. Much as I hate to end my review with a tired cliché, pretenders to the rock throne such as The Long Blondes and Clor could learn one crucial lesson from watching him - never be afraid to do something new.