The drift effect was how the picture was published. PUBLICATION - MELODY MAKER ORIGIN - UK DATE OF PUBLICATION - 1 SEPTEMBER, 1990 SUBJECT - Live concert review, The Marquee, London, England. TITLE - ( JUST LIKE ) STARTING OVER AUTHOR - Dave Jennings PHOTO - Stephen Sweet Two years is an eternity in pop, and Lee Mavers took a massive risk when he hid The La's from view for that long. But following the inexplicable commercial failure of the ravishing " There She Goes " single, Mavers chose to spend that time obsessively recording, re-recording and shuffling band personnel in search of his ideal La's line-up. Tonight he's finally unveiling his amsterpiece. No wonder he looks petrified. Doubtless there were those who told Mavers to leap on the Manc bandwagon before it rolled into oblivion; but he could never have done so. The La's are every bit as Sixties-fixated as the baggy brigade, but they choose different icons. many of their songs sound remarkably like early Beatles B-sides; they could slip, say, " I'm Down " into their set and it'd get taken for an original. The band even look pretty fab, what with Lee's fringe and the big logo on the bass drum. So the title of The La's imminent single, " Timeless Melody ", is an accurate indication of their aspirations. Their songs are sturdily structured, with sharp hooks and choruses, and Mavers' elite team play them with grace and imagination. His brother Neil is a particularly deft, subtle drummer, and Cammy wrings some unnatural and wonderful noises from his guitar. But none of this should be taken to mean that the La's are old-fashioned or workmanlike. Their clarity and precision, the way they reject the stoned sloppiness of Manc, make them a refreshing breath of icy air in the present stifling climate. Granted, not all the melodies are memorable- Mavers has yet to write another pop song as great as " There She Goes ", that perfect late reply to The Tremoloes' " Silence Is Golden ". But at best The La's carry an emotional depth-charge - they launch into deep psychological waters with the haunted " I Can't Sleep " and the disturbing , lurching " Looking Glass ". And despite all the Merseybeat trappings, things like " Doledrum ", " Liberty Ship " and " Failure " are very clearly songs of today. Tonight ends abruptly, as Lee suddenly strips off his guitar to signal the end of the half formed new song they've used as the second encore; but the preceding hour had been all about new beginnings. Something very special ( re ) starts here. DAVE JENNINGS.