Northside

And then God created Manchester, or so the story goes.

It really is quite difficult to imagine what the last decade and a half would have been like musically if it hadn't been for the emergence of bands like the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays at the tail end of the 1980s.

Whether your chosen listening pleasure involves the Gallagher brothers, the Greenwood siblings or just the repetitive bleeps and basslines of rave culture, they all owe a debt in some small way to the scene that changed British independent guitar music to the way we know it. Granted, there are always going to be exceptions to the rule (i.e. bands we could have done without - step forward Kasabian, stand in line The Fratellis), but by and large Madchester (as it came to be known) gave the jaded A&R policies of every major record label a complete facelift that hasn't altered much to this day.

One of the bands to emerge from that scene were Northside. Unfairly berated as copyists by some at the time, they were quite simply a breath of fresh air for the unpretentious who just want to have a good time.

It's been a long time since they've done the circuit as it were, and tonight's line-up only features frontman and songwriter in chief Warren 'Dermo' Dermody from the original Factory Records band. Yet blink for a second and you wouldn't know they'd been away: with a shake of the tambourine and a hushed "Good evening, Leeds", they're away, and straight into the reverberating tones of 'Practice Makes Perfect'.

Oozing charisma and a carefree attitude - probably because there is no pressure on Dermody or the band this evening, unlike ten years ago when the musical landscape was changing - Northside are a joy to watch, and a lesson to any new band in how to put on a show and not only pander to the crowd's every need, but actually go beyond their wildest expectations. As old fans with receeding hairlines mix with a new generation raised on a diet of The Killers and the Monkeys, it really does feel like being transported back to the legendary days of the Hacienda circa 1990. Old friendships are renewed and new acquaintances are made, to a soundtrack whose existence many here tonight won't have been aware of as recently as this time last year.

As for the set itself, every song from their criminally overlooked debut 'Chicken Rhythms' gets an airing, and unsurprisingly past singles 'Take 5' and 'My Rising Star' receive the warmest response. Long-lost single that wasn't 'Cool Idea', replete with funk-infused vocals, and 'Another Girl, Another Planet''s neighbouring riff stands out as one of those "If only..." moments that could have changed a few perceptions back in '92 when it_ should _have seen the light of day.

Returning for a two-song encore that sees the majority of the audience engulf the stage during a rousing 'Shall We Take A Trip' at the end, Dermody has a smile as wide as a Cheshire Cat who's just robbed the milkman. It may be long overdue, but surely now is as good a time as any to give recognition to a band that put the emphasis on partying without letting the art bit get in the way. This is dance music for rock purists without the need for gimmicks or media hype.

The history books may not have been kind to Northside but tonight's crowd departs full of inspiration and awe. Truly phenomenal.