6 Degrees

Fronted by Les 'Fruitbat' Carter and backed by an ever-changing guitar, bass 'n' drums set-up usually depending on which continent he's playing in that week, it's fair to say an Abdoujaparov gig is normally an unpredictable one. Tonight is no exception - their usual guitarist can't make this last-minute gig, so Abdou go for it as a three-piece (Jason on bass and backing vocals, Ben on drums, Les on guitar and vocals) for a couple of songs before being joined by a guitarist with a "gammy leg" (skiing accident, apparently). His plaster has "lean on me I won't fall over" scribbled on it.

Oh yes, for the uninitiated, Les was once part of fiery indie upstarts Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. 'Lean On Me I Won't Fall Over' was one of their singles. Do you see? Good. Beginning life as a duo-with-drum machine and eventually metamorphosing into a seven-piece rock monster (how and why that happened is still anyone's guess), Carter stopped having fun and called it a day in 1997. You will see singer 'Jimbob' in his own band Jim's Super Stereoworld... only at this gig you will also have seen him playing guitar in Abdoujaparov for the last couple of songs, including 'Abdoujaparov Theme' who Jim's Super Stereoworld have taken to covering lately. Well, it was only a matter of time before that happened... YES, they are back together (sort of), only this time they can't tune their guitars. Never mind! Tuneful punk is the order of the day, and Les still has the knack of writing a Good Chorus and some really awful lyrics. Abdoujaparov have fun and thus it reflects well on the audience and four-person mosh pit (hey, it's only a small pub).

Oddly enough, they find themselves supporting newcomers 6 Degrees, a band half their age whose friends are too young to get into the venue.

The three-boy, one-girl Brixton teenagers play melodious rock with deep, political meaning, a singer obviously inspired by Nick Drake and... hang on, no, I've made a mistake - 6 Degrees play really loud hardcore punk with no trousers. This is no school band whose diet consists of post-grunge or nu-metal, this is a tight-as-a-gnat's-chuff certified racket which, from the word "twofreefour!", feels like being hit by a bus. And a really fucking big, red double-decker at that.

Their baby-faced singer has a self-mocking, dry sense of humour and a flair for showmanship to put his po-faced contemporaries to shame. While the songs seem to lack anything in the way of tunes (hey, this is hardcore, it doesn't matter), the way in which 6 Degrees play with conviction and style makes them far more listenable than it looks on paper (sorry, screen). A punk label's wet dream.