Grammatics

So the future tense of post-rock is apparently dead in the water, huh? Not if you're Leeds four-piece Solus Locus it isn't. While their experimental dalliances occasionally veer them away from the specifics of the genre, there is no doubting the fact that the reason they all picked up instruments in the first place was down to a combined love of people like Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and 65daysofstatic. Of course its not all about who their influences may be, but what they actually do with them, and during forthcoming single 'We Can Go There' and the Stone Roses-aping (no really) 4/4 deceiver 'Satellites' they sound like the most playfully imaginative new kids on the estate, with a hyperactive drummer to die for.

The fact we get to see Solus Locus is more an accident really, but we're glad we stuck around to do so. Having been tipped off earlier in the week, DiS gets confirmation that Grammatics have been added to the bill this evening in the opening slot. Usually with 'secret gigs', the cat is let out of the bag almost instantly to the point of pandemonium breaking out immediately. Tonight, however, Grammatics have somehow managed to keep their performance so low-key that by the time they come onstage the only people in the audience will be members of the other bands playing on the bill, three close friends and yours truly.

For that reason alone it really does feel like an event, and although they only end up playing five songs - the two new ones they had planned to do are scrapped at the last minute due to technical problems - their performance still retains a grandiose charm which, to these ears at least, they haven't quite yet captured on record thus far. Early single 'The Shipping Forecast' swoons side-by-side with most recent offering 'D.I.L.E.M.M.A.', while Owen Brinley's mid-set take on Echo And The Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon' is infinitely better than the last time we heard this song played by its composer at Connect in August.

At the end, the band claim to be disappointed with their showing. DiS can only conclude that if this was a below-par performance, then seeing Grammatics at the top of their game must be a heavenly experience indeed.