Sebadoh, Electric Ballroom - review - Music - Arts

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"We are Sebadoh. We're from the 1990s," said Lou Barlow by way of introduction to his revived, lower than lo-fi indie rock band, who back then were signed to not one but two revered independent labels - Sub Pop in the US and Domino over here.

Time-travelling Barlow has already been on recent flashback reunion tours with his previous band, grunge forerunners Dinosaur Jr. Perhaps one day he'll catch up with his present day self. Until then he has a prolific back catalogue to dust off for a nostalgic bunch of overwhelmingly male thirtysomethings. "We're just gonna play until we're told to stop," he said, with more than enough material for a long night despite most Sebadoh songs being tantalisingly short.

While Nirvana's Nevermind is about to get the luxury box-set treatment next month, not much of the US alternative rock that stumbled out in its wake seems equally worthy but that didn't stop Sebadoh's fifth album, 1994's Bakesale, reappearing with a hefty 25 bonus tracks in April.

That album witnessed a sharpening of Barlow's emotional, soul-baring songwriting and a toning down of co-frontman Jason Loewenstein's screaminess.

Here it provided most of the most tuneful moments, with Barlow's guitar chiming thrillingly on the racing Rebound and jerking and twisting on Licence to Confuse. As they switched sides like an indie tennis match, Loewenstein's turns to lead showed a reliance on ragged noise that made his songs less memorable, though Love to Fight was a manic, terrifying highlight.

Prettier Barlow compositions such as Soul and Fire and On Fire were unpolished gems, unlikely to earn an X Factor cover version but strong enough to see this unassuming band playing a good-sized venue nearly two decades past their prime. They seemed as surprised to be here as the rest of us.

Sebadoh
Electric Ballroom
Camden High Street, Camden, NW1 8QP