The Blood Arm @ King Tut's, 5 Jun

Flaunting their Californian wares; swinging from the rafters; wandering through the crowd kissing girls, and all the other things those damn Americans do - The Blood Arm are back in Glasgow. With dry humour between their ragtime and rock 'n' roll coloured songs, the response from the assembled is unusually cold, though frontman Nathaniel Fregoso's showmanship continues - the crowd eventually offer an energetic response to the stand-out of the set, I Love All the Girls (And All the Girls Love Me). Such ditties are where The Blood Arm excel, fodder for the trendy indie schmindie DJs of evening radio. The downside to this party high is when The Blood Arm attempt straight as an arrow rock 'n' roll, they simply don't hit the target. Lacking in melody, the tracks do not resonate with the crowd, due in equal parts to poor songwriting and not having the correct tools for the job; no bass guitar or second guitarist does not a rock 'n' roll song make. A shame, as the band show glimpses of greatness with their more playful offerings.