My friend Mahoney introduced me to Man/Woman/Chainsaw with the statement/question of “I can’t tell whether they’re actually good or not?” before inviting me to go see them at Rough Trade last year. I understand the confusion - they are every young Windmill scene with overwrought vocals and a violin player, abominably young, and with the rich scent of privilege behind thmm. But they are very good indeed. I massively got into their EP after that gig, and have been very excited to see them again since. So I find myself coming to London for the occasion. Put it this way - this gig made me genuinely wonder whether it’s even worth going to shows any more, because I fundamentally hate modern gigging. The screeching teenage girls, the middle aged men trying to film the whole show from the front row, the kids trying to mosh to music that should not and indeed cannot be moshed to, the constant talking - it’s all awful. So that this gig is still an early highlight of the year says something. They play with such intensity and cohesion on stage, it’s quite something to behold. I hope that for their debut album they can afford the production values that songs like Grow A Tongue In Time and EZPZ deserved but didn’t quite receive on the EP. They lack, on record, a heft and an atmosphere that elevate them live. Get Up And Dance, a currently unreleased song, could be huge if done right, as could they as a whole. I can’t wait to be moaning about paying 40 quid to see them at SWX in five years time. First support act Expiry are fine if unremarkable, but Dog Race are a deceptive sight to behold. The lead singer’s voice and performance are not what you’d expect of her, but it’s quite arresting.