Miles Hunt is disobeying the immutable laws of the universe. He appears to be getting younger. He looks younger, and certainly behaves younger, than the prematurely middle-aged whiners who stalk the indie world these days. He looks about 20, which would be about the age he would have been when his band last played in a venue as small as the King's College bar. Either that, or in some bizarre echo of Hear'Say, Miles has been cloned.
Kicking off with a quartet of songs from 'The Eight Legged Groove Machine' - 'Poison', 'Ruby Horse', 'Give Give Give' and 'Unbearable', the theme of the night is clear. In all they play half of that debut album, and another six from 'Hup'. These are counterbalanced with a solitary song from the last album, and a pair from 'Never Loved Elvis', including the terrible 'Size Of A Cow', introduced as "our cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'".
Ironically, in this tiny gig to celebrate the launch of their live album 'Cursed With Insincerity' recorded at the Forum last December, the band are miles (ahem) tighter and more engaging than at those shows. Stripped of spurious embellishments like a keyboard player, the sound is of the band is cleaner, more intuitive.
But The Wonder Stuff are now coming dangerously close to crossing the line between a brief, celebratory reunion, and the ugly prospect of becoming perennial revivalists, flogging their long dead horse until its decaying bones are dust.
The choice is clear - either create something new, and make it good, or stop now. Even William Hague understood that.
