The Rifles @ King Tuts

Fresh off the top 40 tarmac with singles Local Boy, Repeated Offender and their debut album, 'No Love Lost', the Rifles sound makes for some very generic but laudable gut-punch rock. Invariably being compared with numerous bands (especially soon-to-be tour buddy Paul Weller and The Jam), the Rifles 'stay the course' with Morrisey-ish vocals and edible treble. Each hook and riff, of which there are an over-abundance, went off with rather polished precision. Guitarist Luke Crowther pulls off the rocker-in-shades pose - along with an overly-badged hat to top it off - and still somehow finds the fret board, playing the comic to singer Joel Stoker's lyrically-decent straight man. Even with their 'smart-price' flavor rock, the Rifles maintain an overly slick but still enjoyable air of purpose. [David Winton]