ManBREAK, Glitterbox, 'A'
Roadhouse, Manchester, Monday, November 3


THREE OF Britain's brightest young bands under one roof. Like a duck on a spit, this particular tour has a revolving bill, which each band taking it turns to turns to headline, open and play piggy-in-the-middle.
Tonight is 'A's turn to open preoceedings which, unfortunately, means playing to a venue that's still filling up. Of course, it doesn't stop the band from putting on their usual adrenalin-soaked performance. Songs like 'Fistral' and the aptly-titled 'Sing-A-Long' show the more restrained side of the Londoners' character, but they're better when they're at their most frantic, bouncing around like demented frogs while the audience follow suit. 'Foghorn' and 'Five In The Morning' sound like NOFX playing Symposium covers with Perry Farrel guesting on vocals. How ace is that?
Glitterbox are not as manic, but no les effective, relying on some excellently crafted songs rather than sackfuls of evergy. OK, so at one point the bassist, obviously possessed by the rock 'n' roll, dislodges a ceiling tile with one firm thrust of his instrument (I beg your pardon - Ed), but it's debut single 'I Wanna Be Your Friend' that impresses most. If you're a fan of the Stereophonics or Novocane, you really should get a dose of Glitterbox.
If, on the other hand, you thought that hoary old beast called rap-metal was a spent force, then you own it to yourself to see ManBREAK shake the corpse, paint it day-glo yellow and get the f**ker dancing. More Shootyz Groove than Rage Against The Machine, yet more ManBREAK that anything else, they take a handful of infectious hooks and imbed them into some of the most grooving rhythms this side of just about anyone.
Lead vocalist Swindelli is a rubber-elbowed, snake-hipped star, irrepressibly energetic and in possession of a gob the size of the Mersey Tunnel. And there's absolutely no let up in his band's pace or intensity, yet unlike the majority of their cod-funk contemporaries, the Scousers seem to have a little trouble translating their vibe and energy into memorable songs.
This time next year, any of these bands will be able to fill a venue the size of Roadhouse in their sleep. Tonight is just a taste of things to come.

MOST ROCKING MOMENT: 'A's frantic 'Five In The Morning'.
LEAST ROCKING MOMENT: Only half-an-hour each?
BEST QUOTE ONSTAGE: "If you believe in reincarnation and come back as a hedgehog, always use the Green Cross Code..." - ManBREAK's Swindelli
VERDICT: The future starts here.

Written by Paul Travers; from Kerrang!, November 15, 1997

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