Click opera / Ikara Colt

Why have I never noticed Momus's Click opera blog before? It's great, and rather beautiful, too.

Went to see the spiky and fun Ikara Colt last night. "Thanks for coming to see us play at Po Na Na Curry House", the singer deadpanned, "We hope you enjoyed your meal". I.C were on form, starting relatively muted but whipping themselves up as the set progressed; by the end they were sharp and invigorating, blending N.O.U / Huggy Bear type energy (they really recalled the latter when the guitarist chipped in on vocals) with the taut post-punk stylings of Joy Division and, particularly, The Fall.

"Smash the place up", they suggested, when the lighting and the wooden fittings got on their nerves. "I'll take the rap, I don't give a fuck", their singer said. But he's not Mark E Smith (or even Kevin Shields, who once kicked off a mini-riot at a MBV gig when he suggested the same thing) and couldn't help smiling. Nor could we.