Puressence

They say you should never judge a book by its cover and the same theory can be applied when it comes to music. Take Manchester's Puressence for example, a band whose brief spate of UK commercial success came during the back end of Britpop. However, don't let that put you off, as their whole ethos and sound is, and always was, as far removed from that era as is humanly possible. It's to their credit that despite never really achieving the kind of recognition their efforts deserve, they've managed to exist for twenty years in such a fickle industry.

What is quite apparent, even though the Bodega's doors opened barely five minutes ago is that Puressence have built up a loyal and devoted following over the years. Despite several more high profile shows taking place around the city this evening, the two hundred and fifty hardy souls packed into the Bodega's salubrious confines tells its own story. Earlier, local five-piece The Cedars will play an engaging set of reverb drenched melodies that nod approvingly towards A Storm In Heaven era Verve and the more recent musings of Exit Calm respectively. It sets the scene for the headline act while highlighting another of the city's emerging talents to boot.

Although largely a cult phenomenon here, Puressence continue to flourish overseas, and while recently released sixth LP Solid State Recital came out virtually unnoticed in the UK, the band's status as one of this country's most proficient exports this past decade remains. Still boasting three of their four original members in the current line-up, Puressence are a glaring advertisement for determination and resilience, especially in a climate where far too many bands exist purely for career rather than artistic motives.

With a back catalogue stretching back two decades, their set acts as a timely reminder of both their past and present glories, providing an able representation of why they've maintained such a rabid fanbase all these years. While seven-minute opener 'Swathes Of Sea Made Stone' adeptly marks the new record's card, it's the early rendition of 'I Suppose' from 1996's self-titled debut that sends the room into a heaving, rapturous frenzy, James Mudriczki's vocal drowned out by several dozen souls bellowing its every word back at him.

Having been cited as influences by the likes of Muse and Doves among others, it's the effects-laden histrionics of 'Walking Dead' and 'India' that transcend the room into a sonic cathedral, while melancholic early single 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' is delivered with a poignant swagger befitting of its timeless elegy. By the time 'This Feeling' and 'Sharpen Up The Knives' bring their set to a close, one of the decade's greatest mysteries remains intact, leaving an all too familiar question; why aren't Puressence playing arenas? Sometimes, there really is no justice...