T on the Fringe: The Hedrons @ Cabaret Voltaire

The hideous memory of beige-rock flops Hepburn always comes to mind upon hearing of an all-girl rock band, but surprisingly, The Hedrons are actually a proper punk band: these are girls who know how to play, and more importantly, scream like they've been set alight. The Hedrons are every inch rock stars. They play like they're having the time of their lives, with singer Chi's insane vocals and crazed stage antics (she repeatedly runs into the crowd as far as her mic lead allows) putting her alongside Karen O in terms of iconic female singers, and songs like Sympathy and Be My Friend are exemplary lessons in pop-punk - yet while the girls have the crowd eating out of their hands, it's hard to escape the feeling that the music is secondary to the buzz they create onstage. The real test of how well their sound works off-stage will come when their debut album is released in February, but tonight, these girls definitely rocked the Cab's bar. [Heather Crumley]