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An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
André Paine's rating
Reader rating
Showman: Matt Bowman leaped around with utter abandon
When Matt Bowman suggested his band's frenetic gig on the tiny Barfly stage might well end in "injury or death", he seemed to confirm their reputation for dumb-but-fun indie rock.
The Pigeon Detectives' frontman certainly had a youthful disregard for his own mortality. He leapt around with utter abandon, dowsed himself with water despite the risk of electrocution and tested if the air conditioning unit on the low ceiling could take his weight. Luckily, it did.
In Pictures: Pigeon Detectives gig
The Leeds band prompted questions of sexism after a recent show featured an improvised wet T-shirt contest. But this excitable 45-minute set suggested there's much more to The Pigeon Detectives than beery insouciance and an apparent ambition to be the house band of Nuts magazine.
Like their friends Kaiser Chiefs, they possess a blunt Yorkshire humour - the crowd of Xfm competition winners were addressed "you lucky bastards" - as well as an ability to pen great, tub-thumping tunes.
While Bowman was the showman, his shaggy hair deflating the more he pogoed, the more diffident Oliver Main was responsible for the sharp riffs that powered their anthems. And Main's perfectionism was apparent when he threw his errant guitar down in disgust during I Can't Control Myself.
His tantrum went largely unnoticed, though, because Bowman was such an eyecatching force of nature, storming his way through a set that included the fabulous I Found Out, which sounded like a pop-punk take on Grease.
It was essentially an evening of music to jump around to, with the audience encouraged to join the performance. Bowman serenaded one girl - thankfully without a wet T-shirt - and dozens of fans invaded the stage during I'm Not Sorry, the floor undulating in response.
They'll need some new ideas if they want a successful second album. But for now, The Pigeon Detectives simply provide a great night out at their own indie disco.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
