As the charts become more and more faceless with bands you have never heard of, nor want to, it comes as a relief to welcome from Austin, Texas ....Trail Of Dead, a band that injects excitement, power and tunes into your dull, shitty lives. Fans of Fugazi, Helmet and early Sonic Youth (before their recent wank efforts) will lap up this band who don't so much play their instruments as try and extract blood from them. Imagine Mogwai with Steve Albini on speed singing and your getting closer.

The short (50 minutes) set is utterly relentless as each song feels like the set closer as the band continually get more fired up. Opening with Mistakes and Regrets from last years' curiously titled Madonna album the band soon swap instruments, including the bass for guitar which means there are three guitars, a drum but no bass for that extra 'white noise' sound. Towards the end of the set the band are trying to smash their equipment on the ceiling while other members destroy the drum kit and jump into the crowd leaving a trail of debris on the stage. AYWKUBTTOD are the most electrifying, non-gimmick (hello Slipknot!) band you will see for a long time. GO SEE THEM!

 
It's often been said that ...The Trail Of Dead sound like Sonic Youth. Well, maybe the Sonic Youth of 13 years ago, before they disappeared up the wretched art-rock cul-de-sac they currently inhabit. For the most part, they sound like a cosmic collision of Pussy Galore, the Jesus And Mary Chain, the Stooges, MC5, The Who, Mudhoney and every other two-bit, attitude-über-alles punk group that's crawled from the swamp over the last 30 years.