Ari Up @ The Hold

Calls for more reverb on the mic so the bird sounds sound good is never the most auspicious start to a gig but if anyone could turn this around it would be Ari-Up, former lead singer with legendary all girl punk band The Slits. Kicking off with Instant Hit, which was written for Sid Vicious, it's a punk rock history lesson as she regales with tales of Sid 'n' Nancy and teaches the audience to skank like it's 1976. Far from a Slits-hits-by-numbers cash-in she instigates a self proclaimed punky-reggae party and delivers a mix of old with new, showcasing her excellent voice which transforms even the bird sounds from the feared hippy mess into a new, unusual instrument. Refusing to settle for second best from the sound guy, her band or the audience, she shouts at the crowd for not being able to sing Newtown – from some this might seem arrogant but here it seems quite justified. Typical Girl might get the best reaction of the night, with Ari joining the crowd in dancing, but a typical girl she ain't. [Laura Patterson]