Gomez @ ABC

Gomez live are brilliant at best, a little tedious at worst, and tonight they were both. They began by producing the classic wall of sound that included drums, keyboards, vocals and guitars being continually layered upon one another, building a real sense of occasion. Next, proceedings were brought crashing down with a track devoid of the energy of the previous offering, and so the set continued with amazing live moments dragged down by the odd weak track. Highlights included the title track of new album 'How We Operate' and anything they played from their Mercury Prize winning debut, while the first single from the new album Love Shaped Drug fell flat. The encore was truly intense, showcasing the amazing sound this bluesy-rock band are capable of. There was enough here to suggest the new album may catapult Gomez back onto the UK airwaves. [Xavier Toby]