A couple of years ago, The Vines were the most exciting rock band on the planet, propelled by the instinctive genius of the walking attention deficit syndrome Craig Nicholls. Sadly, it was a one off fluke, a shriek of talent that has dulled to a mutter on the dreadful new "Winning Days" album.
Well, that's the official line. What a shame it's false. Firstly, "Highly Evolved" wasn't all that good. Secondly, "Winning Days" is certainly not that bad.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First there's The Duke Spirit, a band currently riding on a swell of critical acclaim and much hipster name-checking. In fact, they're in much the same position as the headliners were two years ago.
Unfortunately, although The Duke Spirit's doomy racket has an immediate impact, it curdles quickly into dreariness. Which is what happens if you forget to write actual songs rather than mutter and pound in that oh-so-passe Velvet Underground way. Take two parts Velvets, one part PJ Harvey and one part Mazzy Star, stick into a blender then drain off the excess tunes and - voila! - you have The Duke Spirit.
After these meanderings, The Vines' opening "Ride" seems like the essence of economy - short, bruising and thrillingly loud. The Academy may be far from sold out tonight, but the loyalists mosh all the more fiercely as a result. It's a stark reminder that The Vines are one of the very few bands around who do total rock'n'roll abandon convincingly. It's the aural equivalent of the adrenaline shot jabbed into Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction".
The only problem with short songs is how quickly they finish. The ache of "Homesick" is next, and this is where The Vines' biggest problem reveals itself. Nicholls appears to have just two song modes - angsty punk or slow, weary ballads. The Vines would be a truly great band if Nicholls was able to invest his punk numbers with the subtlety of his slow songs, or spike his laments with a little more purpose.
Without this, the set list swings jerkily from extreme to extreme. "Winning Days" is a lovely and heart-breaking song, but when it follows the amphetamine rush of "Highly Evolved" it can't help feel like a comedown. But then, "Highly Evolved" sounds like Dido when compared to the absolutely
thrilling, solid gold triumph that is "Get Free".
The Vines used to be absolute chaos live, but it would seem that the poor sales and critical maulings have chastened Nicholls. He doesn't stagedive, and doesn't hospitalise a single bandmate. If this is disappointing, the reward is that he invests his efforts in his guitar playing and singing, and reveals himself a far richer performer than before.
If chastened enough, he may even go and write the brilliant album that is surely within The Vines' reach. After all, nothing motivates like revenge.
