Lovvers @ Sneaky Pete's, 21 Aug

Having added an extra guitarist into the mix for this tour, Lovvers beef up their wiry studio sound with Hüsker Dü-sized reverb, the result being a dizzy swarm of pop-punk dissonance, turning album highlights Human Hair and Creepy Crawl into charred corpses, identifiable only by their dental records. Though there is order in the chaos: the advances they’ve made (check the OCD GO GO GO GIRLS LP for proof) as musicians and songwriters are crystallised in the live setting. Whereas a year ago Lovvers would be clumsy and inconsistent, now they're taut and focused without losing any of their abrasive charm. Reception from the crowd in the 90 capacity bar ranges from sweaty enthusiasm to outward hostility, but it’s this kind of delight in being divisive that makes Lovvers play as fiercely as they do do - and confirms them as one of the finest contemporary punk bands the UK has to offer.