James Brown and Tom Goodhand have been cutting teeth putting gigs under their Leeds brand for nearly a year, and this experience of over-heating, over-filling gigs of note have put together this appropriately named Number One taster which runs as a form of master class. Some names burst out with little need of introduction; This Et Al shine with ‘Free Adam Innocent’, and Quack Quack are quite brilliant with the terse, tasty ‘Spinach’. The drums behind ‘The Butterfly Effect’ from worriedaboutsatan may initially suggest a laptop’s impression of running water but the guitar kicks are quite beautiful in a way suggestive of a stoned guitarist flickering absent-mindedly at 3am of the morning after. This impressive track is the rare dance influenced song; with the rock sound of modern times the more obvious bias. The very good That Fucking Tank, their attitude long lasting after a firm, thick 5 minutes of snarl is over, and the interesting Mother Lupine’s ‘We’ll Be Detectives’ is a good idea which sadly misses a real kick. Balancing the highlights are tracks from relatively unknown names that do no quite succeed in instant impression. Emphasis on sound, not substance detracts from Micky Charbangz’ intentions, with a lopsided mix of sneer and bleeping electronica. Samsa’s ‘The Fight’ doesn’t punch much weight at all, while The Acute’s track is a lower league impression of Michael Stipe vocals over flat guitars.

Liam Pennington

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