January 31, 2000

Shack/Campag Velocet/Les Rythmes Digitales/Coldplay : London Astoria NME Premier Show

In a disparate bill, the one thing that unites these four bands is Glamour...

In a disparate bill, the one thing that unites these four bands is Glamour - it's what music needs right now. So welcome ladies and gentlemen to the four ultimate facets of glamour.

The glamour of youth. In the week and a half Coldplay have been on the tour, they've evolved from shy, apologists to confident angst rockers who, even if they haven't quite got to the point where they sport tattoos and worship at the siz-pack altar of Henry Rollins, are now less likely to get punched in by Belle and Sebastian. 'Yellow' and 'Shiver', two new songs stamp their ambitious intent as melodious depressives and mark them out as future stars.

The glamour of darkness. In contrast Campag Velocet illustrate the seductive glamour of a bit of rough 'n' ready for anything. Ready for flick-knife snarling? Yup. Ready for voluminous beats, psychadelic guitars and meaningless shouting? Yup. Ready for a bloke in an aerodynamic shark-fin cycle helmet? Well, no, but I'm easy. It takes a little time for Campag Velocet to uncoil into full force and strangely it's the new song - kicked into shape during the tour - 'Instinct Tension' that does the insidious work of melding the disparate elements into one cohesive arse-shaking whole.

Airbrushed glamour. Jacques Lu Cont's project Les Rhythmes Digitales are excited to be sporting new shiny future suits. The crowd are suspicious at such blatant displays of synth-pop pret a porter and - christ on a bike - they've bunged in synchronised dancing as well. We fought and won this war a decade ago, didn't we? But the 80s are back. Jacques Lu Cont insists it's 4-real, most of the crowd think it's a joke. But if it makes you move - and it does effortlessly - does it matter?

The glamour of overcome tragedy. You know the story - smack, dismissal of classic songwriting in a time of synths, destroyed master tapes, whole albums lost and re-found. Ultimately though, the glamour lies in the beauty of the songs. Mick and John Head are living contradictions; ordinary everyblokes whose songwriting pens drip pure emotion powerful enough to make shellsuit Neanderthals weep and Manics fans forget that eyeliner is important.

'Streets Of Kenny' and Comedy' shatter hearts in the auditorium, while 'Pull Together' is the kind anthemic yet emotive song that Noel - checking them out tonight - dreams he could still create. The truth of Shack's brilliance has been a long time getting through but a crackling, spiky yet tender cover of Love's A House Is Not A Motel' leaves no doubt. And on the way out the former doubters and new converts join the disciples in rattling excitedly on what they've just seen.

Anthony Thornton