Paperjam

It's a bit off our manor but there is a fair chance a paper-jam delegation could be heading down to Cardiff for the inaugural outing of this urban festival being staged at two venues in the Welsh capital.

There is a dance-centric Tantrum Arena staging the likes of 808 State and Dreadzone Soundsystem while the more guitarred-up Sub Arena is headlined by Ozric Tentacles and features amongst others the magnificently named Captain Paranoid & The Delusions. The flyer also promises "Real Live Russian Roullette" which makes the £12 charge for a ticket seem all the more reasonable. More at the Blowout festival web site and at their MySpace page.

I'd love there to be a busy and successful electronic music scene in Coventry, so I was as chuffed as I could be to hear about our favourite cafe bar thing Browns putting on an electronic night as a flipside to their regular Dirt nights.

But. And there's always a but. I didn't like it.

Sorry lads. Really, I tried. And so did my compatriots on that night, who are both called Jim, for legal reasons.

I did want to like your eardrum-raping drill and bass, but I remember the likes of Jega and u-ziq from oooh, about ten years ago, and I much preferred that.

Also I tried to like your smooth drum and brass, but couldn't get over the feeling that this might be how the Last of the Summer Wine will be soundtracked in 2047.

Your slow-mo post-rock stuff just... well let's leave it there. It's not my thing.

We didn't make it to the last act because of work on Monday, but I fervently hope they were fresh and forward looking, rather the oddly 90s retro sounds of the previous acts.

Despite all this, we're looking forward to Clean 2, scheduled for some time in April. You can get more info at the usual Myspace page, and see a couple of the acts at 93 Feet East in London on Monday 19th Feb.

There would be photos, but all you would see is the backs of freakishly tall people's heads. I was stood behind a six foot four lizard who must've had the dance bone removed from his body at birth. I'm convinced people don't dance in Nottingham.

So we were really, really packed into the Rescue Rooms for the return of CSS. They had their first gig in Europe over in Stealth, and now they're back before they go on the upcoming and predictably badly-named (but sold out) NME New Rave tour with the Klaxons and the New Young Pony Club.

On they came with black capes over their heads to ye olde "No limits" by 2unlimited (presumably in reference to the New Rave tour), which segued into an exuburent version of "CSS Suxxx".

Because we're such bloody rebels, we eschew basic journalistic skills like research beyond what we can type in the Google search box, I'd not heard the album beyond a few random tracks. Everyone's favourite single "Let's make love and listen Death from Above" was just ok, "I love alcohol" was a bit of drunken pub singalong cobblers, but "This month day 10" was a cracker.

Lovefoxxx makes for a great lead singer, no studied posing, dressed in a leotard like a dance instructor, hair going in all directions, random comments and audience rabble rousing inbetween songs, but no crowd surfing this time.

Flickr type DannyNorth got some shots last time they were at Stealth, gives a good idea of the intensity of CSS live. They're in London in April, and in Brighton and Manchester in May - check their dates....

Jane was going to write this up but the poor thing is suffering from memory loss due to the effects of extreme poverty. We're doing all we can, but please help. Just five pounds will buy some menthol fags and just ten will pay for the postage on two unwanted leather coats. A hotline will be set up shortly.

Anyway, last Thursday she drove over to Brum where after a fairly humourless drink in the usually humourous Bacchus bar we have the inevitable noodles before heading to a heaving Academy where the average age is a lot younger than me and the air temperature is rising rapidly.

It's about £12 for three drinks, one of which I didn't order. however it comes in handy for throwing over Jane when she faints after I tell her the price of the round she has just bought.

Larrakin Love come on and do Six Queens which is pretty good, they play a load of stuff off the album, but not Meet Me By The Getaway Car, which I really like.

We slipstream some indie kids to get nearer the front, it really is very busy in here indeed. When DPT arrive things go a bit crazy, and the crowd surges all over the shop to the opening Wondering and Gentry Cove. Looks like I've lost Jane, crowd surfing has kicked off, is that her going over the top? I hope not as the treatment from the bouncers for those reaching the barriers looks a little unfriendly.

Deadwood is great, the crowd is bouncing around and I reckon I've lost about half a stone in sweat so far, it's going in my eyes and stinging like a swine. Some bird drags me almost to the front, before realising that I'm not "Tony", she's not happy.

There goes You Fucking Love It, very good and a welcome Libertines interlude in the shape of The Good Old Days. A bang on the back of the head and here is Jane looking almost as sweaty as me. The trumpet is out and they finish with Bang Bang You're Dead.

There follows a really, really, really dull encore, which cheers up a bit when they conclude with I Get Along, but where is Don't Look Back Into The Sun, or maybe Time For Heroes? Oh well, they are off as the drummer applauds the crowd and we go outside to marvel at just how sweaty we are and I take the piss out of Carl Barat for his rolled up t-shirt sleeves. Jane drives back while laughing at me and the general concensus is that it was Ok but the encore really was total shit.