The Dead 60s - Manchester Academy 2 - 13.2.05

As former Clash guitarist Mick Jones is playing upstairs with Carbon Silicon, his new band with Sigue Sigue Sputniks Tony James, he must hear the strains of his former band drafting upstairs from the Dead 60s. A Scouse dub band none the less, the band possess the spirit of Joe Strummer. Like the Clash simultaneously kicked the arse of Prog Rock and the Sex Pistols, The Dead 60s are here to kick the corpse of Keane, Snow Patrol and the proto-punk bands.

This show with The Tears is the latest in a long line of support slots with the likes of Morrissey, The Zutons, The Thrills and The Music and while there's some crossover you can't help but feel that the Dead 60s should be out there playing with Snoop Dogg, NERD or Sean Paul. The band are a product of the last 30 years where white kids in inner city areas have taken to the sounds of Black America and Jamaica rather than listen to middle class posturing from rock bands. It makes sense that a band like The Dead 60s should be playing a roots reggae festival and taking their take on "dub" back to the originators and that's what's slightly disappointing about the choice of supports so far.

"Riot Radio", "You're Not The Law" and "Loaded Gun" should be the sort of records that daytime Radio 1 plays, that's in a utopia of course where our license fee actually meant the BBC was a public service rather than the same as any other commercial radio station. It's "Shot Down" with the bursts of hammond organ that strips out the crossover, goes for a straight-up dub track and proves exactly how stagnant British music has become. All around Tears fans are split as to whether this is the best band they've ever seen or whether they really should be digging the dub.

The Dead 60s are the most forward thinking white guitar band in the UK right now.

Alex McCann

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