Jubilee @ Barfly

There's an element of assumption surrounding Jubilee's debut live appearance. Headed by Aaron North of Nine Inch Nails fame, and backed by right hand man Michael Shuman, who's served time with heavyweights Queens of the Stone Age, Jubilee's rock credentials are such that if they're half as wild as their legend, this night should surely burn bright. And yes, they rock hard for the first few tracks; flying in the face of the crowd's indifference, allowing feedback to wash through their scattered applause they hold their own. But as Shuman takes centre stage, the set shifts dramatically. As silence follows their second, ill-advised attempt to break the mould with some slurring folk-rock, an element of tragedy enters the night. Wounded and falling back on old habits, they hit it hard again, but now they're flailing, and the crowd are all but lost. Tonight, Jubilee are down and out, but they're tough enough to get back up and dust themselves down. [Paul Neeson]