Gig played on 09/06/05

The beauty of live rock'n'roll is that things rarely go to script. Whether it's the shambolic bluster of The Libertines or the emotional rollercoaster of Radiohead, there's always something that doesn't quite go to plan, but it's this uncertainty that provides a sense of occasion. Something memorable. Something that sticks with you forever. However, JJ72 and Garbage don't appear to tap into this visceral, primitive concept, providing instead an evening of unapologetic consistency.

You may have wondered what had happened to Irish indie-rockers JJ72 - perhaps not cared. But their self-titled debut was a critical hit and proved frontman Mark Greaney had an ear for a tune, as did much underrated follow up "I To Sky". It's been three years of silence since and their Nirvana -aping quiet-loud dynamic seems more out of vogue than ever. Bassist Hillary Wood has been replaced by a Canadian by the name of Sarah Fox, but other than that little has changed in the world of a band purportedly named after a brand of washing machine.

New material such as "She's Gone" holds up well against classics like "Oxygen" and "Snow" but Greaney's voice, a charming falsetto on record, is a thunderous, howling dirge here. Half-an-hour of thunderous guitars and Brian Placebo bellowing and they're gone, maybe we should have stayed in the pub for that extra pint after all.

The arrival of fiery Scot, Shirley Manson, is certainly a tonic. Resplendent in a black mini-skirt she has the demeanour of a woman out to prove that after ten years in the game, Garbage still mean business. It's hard to take them seriously though, when the rest of the band look like they've turned up for an interview at the bank. Guitarist Duke Erikson even sports the suit and tie, while drummer Butch Vig sits behind what looks like bulletproof glass. Undoubtedly his reasoning for this is based on keeping the sound clean and just right. But there's the rub, for a band with some killer tunes, they lack the thrill and spontaneity of a properly functioning rock'n'roll band.

"Queer", "I Think I'm Paranoid", "Stupid Girl" and new single "Why Do You Love Me" all have a hard, muscular quality, but then so does pretty much everything else in tonight's set. Manson jumps up and down, says happy birthday to her dad and the bank clerks throw the odd rock shape, but after ten years it's difficult to view Garbage as anything other than a deeply conservative corp-rock band.

by Chris Nye-Browne