So how did BRS move on from art school gossip fodder into pop music territory? Hyphen time! Men proudly sporting Feeder tees swagger next to trademark Karen O clones with post-ironic badges and self-reflexive fashion sense. How on earth did they tow the line between two distinctly opposing factions of rock culture? Admittedly, two-piece is so OMGZ!!01hott right now (for instance, The White Stripes, The Kills and the superior Lightning Bolt). Concurrently, Steven Ansell's raised wood has more to do with accessible lyricism and uptempo, dancey, DFA 1979 savvy rock'n roll than motifs for men with eager pens.

Drawbacks to the Shoes' archetype includes the disco hi-hat sound, currently the most overused gimmick and that samey quality bands confuse with consistency. Thankfully, songs like 'I Made a Mistake' and 'You Bring Me Down' are fast becoming uni dorm anthems and simple, crowd pleasing hits. Blood Red Shoes are a live band. The vibe when they play is palpable deserving a far greater wad of cash in hand than what an £8.50 ticket would yield.

At heart, they want to be rock stars. Laura-May's posturing is distant and brooding, Steve wide-eyed and intense. They have an activist sensibility but a quaint quality when interacting with the crowd. With an 'ADHD' encore and a stage invasion, it all gets a little hair metal for their otherwise cutting edge display. But who am I to complain? Leaping up there alongside all the other miscreants bashing symbols, barging around in the pit and acting like a fool. Gigs are fun again.

P.S. This reviewer arrived too late for These New Puritans and An Emergency. The latter deserve to be huge, the former already are. Over.