The Rascals @ Cabaret Voltaire

With the weight of a rather large simian on their back and the prospect of frontman Miles Kane disappearing into superstardom with his ?-list pal, the Rascals could be forgiven for appearing a little unworthy at the sight of an almost-packed Cabaret Voltaire. Such forgiveness is not required, however, as the Liverpudlian trio manage to pull off the 'it's not at all because of Alex Turner that we're here' look with impressive ease. Immediately relaxed in spite of a somewhat unresponsive crowd, the band rattle through 40 minutes of good-enough spiky rock and roll, showing off a fair technical ability, with the riotous Suspicious Wit and I'll Give You Sympathy particular highlights. A nice bit of patter after one false start softens the heart further, although one suspects that a slight variation in sound, away from a certain Sheffield band's second album, will be required to loosen the grip of the aforementioned monkey. [Jon Seller]