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Bigwig Showcase

Glasgow King Tut's, September 16th, 1996

 Blind Jump, opening a busy bigwig showcase at stadium-shaking volume, still have some way to go to rise from the ranks of dance metal wannabes. By contrast, the Starlets, led by a boyish singer/guitarist with a quavering voice, favour classic chord structures as they appropriate whole passages from "Raining In My Heart" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again". "Carousel" and "I Told You So" add a melancholic tinge to their happy-go-lucky pop.
Derivative in a different direction, The Chosen's energetic Cuban heel tappers Angel and Check Out The Check Out Girl build on a basic mod framework that, augmented by trumpet, eventually veers into Teardrop Explodes territory. Eiderdown Walls are hailed as conqueing heroes before they even strike a chord. When they do, it has "Gallacher" written all over it. A stream of Manc-style hooks follows, the anthemic "Easy Come, Easy Go" standing out as something special.
Making a hastily rescheduled appearance, Mansun reward the faithful (who've stayed on till nearly midnight) with a short, punchy set. Delivering committed versions 0f the radio-friendly "Stripper Vicar" and "take It Easy, Chicken", all they need now is an anthem of their own.

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