'SOMETHING that has always amazed me,' says a quizzical Mark Morris, 'is the cult of the crowd surfer...especially during ballads.' Que delirious cheering and redoubled efforts to clamber over the crowd, clouting as many heads as possible on the way to being man-handled by huge security guards and unceremoniously dumped on the floor. You can see why Mark Morris is incredulous. He's just finished dredging the depths of his soul with the late-night beauty of 'Sleazy Bed Track' and the confessions he imparts are met with crowd surfing and arm-waving. The enthusiasm of the crowd will not be dampened and even reverence for the band's balladry extends only to slightly more consideration in head clouting on the way over. They certainly aren't going to listen to Mark Morris. The Bluetones have been away a while and they, and us, have forgotten just how big and how important they are. For most of those present, in their late teens and early twenties, the band's 1996 debut LP 'Expecting to Fly' was seminal. It came on the back of a music revolution which saw young lads with guitars steal a charge on the public conscience. Take That were banished and attitude, swagger and style stormed the top of the charts. 'We're gonna play the song that probably brought us to most of your attentions,' grins Morris, and there's no need to announce 'Slight Return' before the delirium drowns out the opening chords of one of the finest singles of the nineties. It's one of those rare treasures that loses no respect with its universal popularity, combining inspirational riffage with a tune that enraptures. It's no wonder the crowd go ballistic. There's plenty to be admired in the music scene at the moment but nothing quite like the class of the mid-nineties. We have the sheer genius of Shack and Coldplay but no-one's ever heard of them. The nation listens to dance anthems and Britney Spears with the occasional sold-out Oasis track reminding of former glories. So, to The Bluetones delight and amazement, their return to the fray is met with unadulterated enthusiasm. It's a rare opportunity to holler all the words and leap about to genuinely good songs where usually apathy reigns. 'If' and 'Solomon Bites the Worm', the highlights of 1998's patchy 'Return To The Last Chance Saloon' LP, are upbeat, groove-laden mosh inducers soaked in tequila and empowered by Moriss's rasping vocals. 'Bluetonic' sounds as fresh as ever, and if anything, the smattering of new tracks previewed tonight don't quite stand up to comparison. The glorious melody of new single 'Keep The Home Fires Burning' sees a genre return to the band's early days but trad fare rhythm guitar replaces the spine tingling riffs. But who cares. We'll worry about the new record when it's released. For now, The Bluetones have proved empirically they can still cut it and tonight's crowd just won't let go.

Guernica