Human Performance:Parquet Courts @ Brixton Academy.

Oh yes, Parquet Courts are good live. I'd never seen them before and it occurred to me before the gig I'd not really kept up with their recent records so I wasn't 100% sure exactly what to expect. My gig buddies Stu and Pam, however, had done their homework properly and they're people I know I can trust when it comes to music so I thought I'd be alright.

I was more than that. It was a brilliant gig. The set was bookended with the fairly low-key Application/Appartus and Pulcinella (no encore) but, other than that, almost every moment was full on energetic indie-punk-dance with Andrew Savage yelping his vocals from the side of the stage. He's not exactly a mellifluous singer but that's not required with this sort of music.

His voice has more of a friendly authority and the audience lapped it up. Plastic pint pots were flung through the air as were human bodies. Nearly the whole of Brixton Academy was up dancing to tunes like the gorgeous Freebird II, Walking At A Downtown Place, Homo Sapien, and the 73 seconds of almost hardcore thrash Light Up Gold II.

Even slower songs like Human Performance, Mardi Gras Beads, and Just Shadows have an undeniable warmth, edging almost towards country rock before splitting the difference between that and their more obvious influences. Who I'd guess would probably be anyone from Husker Du to Pavement via Gang of Four. Though none of them are worn too obviously and there's clearly a lot more going on than just that.

Marathon of Anger leans more towards The Stone Roses take on funk and sees Austin Brown switch from guitar to keyboard and bassist Sean Yeaton get a chance to go full Mani. Wide Awake and Sympathy Of Life come from a similar place but are unafraid to go pretty much full on disco. Though disco filtered through the likes of The Rapture (it's the cowbell, you know). You're reminded, towards the end of the set when they play the classic and still brilliant Stoned and Starving, just how far they've come.

Sadly missed Los Bitchos as they came on too early but thanks to Warmduscher for support (in Stu's memorable phase, the "disco Butthole Surfers"), thanks to Parquet Courts for simply being ace, and thanks to Pam and Stu for drinks in The Prince Albert before the gig and for making it an all round top night out.