Ex Hex @ Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 12 February

Live Review by Gary Kaill | 18 Feb 2015

It's bubblegum but, oh, what bubblegum. The Ex Hex formula might be sweet but it's a lack of artificial additives that makes it so nourishing, and a sold-out UK tour confirms Mary Timony's ongoing appeal post-Wild Flag, Helium and a series of sharp solo adventures. Any old chancer could swop two decades of left-field explorations for high gloss streamlining but debut album Rips' songcraft and legacy-respecting wry humour suggest a wandering muse (still) engaged beyond dollar-chasing and novelty.

It's certainly no cynical about-face, despite its collar-grabbing immediacy, and the sudden realisation that you can sing The Cars' Best Friend's Girl over a handful of tracks is as thrilling as it is alarming. Stuffed with melody, the Ex Hex song book lifts shamelessly from 80's drive time America. Manchester's grimiest basement can be a difficult room to fully capture but tonight it simply swoons and folds. Timony bounces and grins throughout, a blur of power chords and glitter, buoyed by the wallop of Betsy Wright (bass) and Laura Harris (drums) alongside.

Enough hooks to give Moby Dick a coronary: the wiry jitterbug of Don't Wanna Lose; Beast driven to an extended, crushing wig-out; the silky groove of Waste Your Time. Subjecting such very uncool influences to their indie aesthetic could have been an unforgivably cheap trick, but this riveting live show confirms Ex Hex are no fools. And despite the name, the return of their mercurial leader to the fore is more blessing than curse. Even at this stage, a second round is surely a no-brainer. Hey, Mary – this one's a keeper, right?

http://www.exhexband.com