Ipso Facto / Hatcham Social / Poppy and the Jezebels @ The Rainbow, Wednesday 4th March 2009

Second Rainbow gig of the week, I really must get a room there...it would all be so much easier. Perhaps I could curl up under the Grillfellas grill? Or there's a little space under the stage, I might have to lose about 9 stone to fit under there, but that's a minor quibble.

First band of the night were local indie wonderkids Poppy and the Jezebels, an all girl four piece who've attracted almost as much press for their look and fashion sense as their musical output. Since I last saw them a year or so ago at the Glee Club they've certainly come on musically and now seem to be honing more of an early 90's flavoured indie sound (hints of Stereolab, Add N to X and Blur plus an echo of the lovely Polystyrene in the vocals). No Nazi Girls tonight, but tracks like UFO (their last single) and a rather ace new one called Rhubarb and Custard (which has lodged firmly in my brain for the last 8 hours or so) more than made up for it. I still get the feeling that they're not totally at home on stage but hell, as I've pointed out before, they're only in their teens and, for a band this young, they've achieved oodles more than most. What's really important is that they're clearly developing and gaining the confidence that will turn a good performance into a truly great one.

Next up Hatcham Social who, to my ears at least, offered a fresh take on the kind of clever, arch pop that Orange Juice squeezed out back in the day. The lead singer even has a touch of the Edwyn Collins about his vocal too, that slight waiver and almost operatic quality. It's indie heaven...proper indie...back when it meant something...a world of 7 inch singles and John Peel...ahhhh (drifts off into an age induced reverie). New album 'You dig the tunnel, I'll hide the soil' (how indie is that title?) is out on March 19th and, on tonight's showing, is heartily recommended.

Finally, Ipso Facto. I have a confession to make here, father forgive me, for I have sinned. I have a 'thing' for girls in black. So four sexy (PC-ness be damned) girls in black, playing a goth tinged set...well, it was pretty close to heaven...albeit a very dark heaven, with cobwebs, vampires, those bloody big spiders with hairy legs and black eyeliner for all. The lead Facto, Rosalie, has a Siouxsie edge to her voice (again, heaven for me) and the whole thing is propelled along with meaty drumming, throbbing bass and graveyard keyboards. Have a listen to standout track and set highlight 'Six and Three Quarters' (on their MySpace thingy) and you'll see what I mean. Now, where did I put that black eyeliner...