The Holloways @ The Garage

Tonight is about participation: lacking a strong sense of melody or much lyrical imagination, The Holloways go for community with the audience. Adapting cheeky-chappy ska, the almost-folk of the Wonderstuff and vocalist Alfie Jackson's approachable charm, they churn out fast-tempo romps for drunken dancing. Most of the songs are cheerful, low-rent versions of Arctic Monkeys-style observations. A few attempts at pathos destroy the atmosphere within seconds, but Rob Skipper is usually on hand to rescue things with some earnest violin. They don't really have much musically - the subtle African guitar ripples of the album are lost in sweaty pub-rock - but by deftly shifting genres, they keep the mood amiable and buoyant. Tapping into the same inclusiveness as bands like the Levellers, they bounce like folk, rattle like reggae and prance like pop. In ten years' time, they'll reform and become the nostalgia band they already sound like. [Gareth K Vile]