This year sees one of the most varied line ups one could wish for outside of a festival – with the obvious advantage that tonight there were no frustrating battles with ten year old tents and a can of coke didn’t cost £3.

So on show for those of us in Sheffield who hadn’t wasted all of our money on buying unsold Autumn stock in the January sales were the combined sounds of The Thrills, Interpol, Polyphonic Spree and The Datsuns.

The Thrills

Opening the show mustn’t have been an easy job for this hotly tipped young guitar band, after all the hybrid nature of the line up did mean that many of the crowd had turned up specifically for the headlining bands.

The Datsuns fans were the ones with the long hair and ripped T-shirts and the Polyphonic Spree fans were identifiable largely by their flowing white robes.

Nevertheless Connor Deasey (lead singer/Mark Morriss look alike) and co. seemed unperturbed, and dealt out a number of bouncy feelgood pop songs with no lack of wry grins and sly winks.

Although their set can have lasted no longer than twenty minutes it was sufficient to see what the band was about – plenty of talk about "hanging around in one horse towns," "sleeping around," and the odd ode to girls who look cool.

Pretty much the same stuff that rock ‘n’ roll has thrived on since it was born then.

Not that that is a bad thing of course - they gave a competent and refreshingly breezy set and while they are unlikely to be the kind of band that sells out stadiums, 2003 should see their profile rise significantly.

Interpol

Before Interpol took the stage the audience were treated to a lengthy loop of an NME video/ advertisement.

The first time it appeared on the big screen it was a pleasing diversion, but hearing Noel Gallagher tell us that NME was his favourite awards show did grow a touch tiresome upon its 15th repetition.

The loop was broken when Interpol came on.

Interpol: Ties and fringes

Seemingly the Sparks/ Nazi SS officer/ 1950’s fop look is taking off in America because I have never quite seen such a confusingly uncool selection of ties and fringes in all my living days.

But that’s fashion for you, if flares can have a comeback then why not side partings?

The press has been billing Interpol as 21st century incarnations of Joy Division and the bass-heavy slow burning opener did little to dispel such notions.

The only problem here is that people, in their nostalgia for Ian Curtis, seem to have forgotten that Joy Division were prone to being dull and impenetrable.

Such was the case with Interpol.

Doing their best to look cool and disinterested, they wheeled out song after song that seemed like nothing more than Gary Numan played on fuzzy guitar.

Nobody - and I mean nobody - is going to tell me that sounding like Gary Newman can be a good thing.

Rory Dollard

Nobody - and I mean nobody - (Sugababes included) is going to tell me that sounding like Gary Numan can be a good thing. I must confess that the stand-offish nature of the band was nothing but infectious.

By the time guitarist Daniel Kessler led the band in a dirgey, faux-cockney knees up that did its very best to sound like a satire of "A Town Called Malice" I was simply counting the minutes to the relative joy of seeing Noel Gallagher for a 16th time.

Polyphonic Spree

Before I start my appraisal of the Polyphonic Spree, let it be made thoroughly clear that I wish to completely do away with any pretensions of impartiality.

Having witnessed their euphoric live show once before I am a fully paid up enthusiast.

Quite simply they are like nothing else you will ever have seen.

Tim Delaughter? I'd even buy a used car from the man...

Rory Dollard

With somewhere in the region of 24 members they were squeezed pretty tightly onto the Foundry stage (which is cosy at the best of times).

No matter, though - they still found room for an oversized Harp, a 9 strong vocal choir, at least two percussionists and all the brass and woodwind instruments one could ever hope for.

Their sound is one that is so unique and so close to the borderline of farcical that it almost defies explanation.

Let me try anyway… it’s like the Beach Boys jamming with Whoopi Goldberg's singing nuns from Sister Act with a miniature orchestra and a heaped tablespoon of unmistakably American schmaltz just for flavour.

On paper it looks absurd, on stage it is nothing short of captivating.

When frontman Tim Delaughter greeted us with "What a great evening, I’m so glad to be part of your evening tonight. Please feel free to sing out loud with us, I do encourage all that," it suddenly became clear where they get those voice overs for Spielberg movies from. If it didn’t make you smile so damn much it would be downright trite.

Polyphonic Spree: Nothing short of captivating

To be honest though I think I’d even buy a used car from the man. Even one that had two dead bodies in the boot, £30,000 of Class A drugs in the passenger seat and a shotgun on the roof. If Tim said it was legit you’d probably believe anything he said.

Song-wise they do have their catchy, radio-friendly moments (see the wonderful ‘Hanging Around’ or current single ‘Light and Day’) but by and large they deal in grandiose, overblown pop symphony.

After an hour in the company of this collective it seemed hard to believe that anybody ever sings about failed romance and unrequited love anymore.

By the time the Spree signed off with a 10 minute opus there was not a face in the crowd that was not broad with a smile. That cannot fail to be a good thing.

These guys should soundtrack every Disney film ever. With this level of aural joy I reckon I could even bear Pocahontas.

The Datsuns

The final act of this wildly diverse show was Antipodean rockers The Datsuns.

Without doubt theirs is a star that cannot fail to rise yet higher in 2003.

Expect festival shows, TV performances and maybe a new album before the end of the year.

If you haven’t heard of them, you soon will, and if you have then even your mum might know them soon.

Lead singer Dolf DeDatsun is such a bundle of kinetic energy it is quite feasible that he will evaporate at any moment.

Rory Dollard

They are very much the flavour of the month, spear-heading NME’s ‘New Rock Revolution’. Of course this is somewhat of a misnomer - there is very little new about what the Datsuns do, it is more a cut and paste approximation of a very old rock revolution.

Not that this is, in itself a bad thing, after all every generation of teenagers need some very loud guitar music to jump about in front of the mirror to – and to this end the Datsuns stake their claim very well.

Either these boys didn’t believe it in the 80’s when people told them that extended guitar solos were not very hip or they are time travellers from a time when Ozzy Osbourne was famous for more than being the victim (sorry…star) of a reality T.V show.

Either way they like to play their guitars very fast and run wild in the process. Lead singer Dolf DeDatsun is such a bundle of kinetic energy it is quite feasible that he will evaporate at any moment.

But he stayed in one piece and the songs were delivered with such ferocity and high pitched venom that he could quite easily step into the breach next time AC/DC find themselves without a vocalist.

Such music is though, by its very nature, never far from self parody and there were undoubtedly times when things seemed to be more Bill and Ted than heavy rock.

There were times when things seemed more Bill and Ted than heavy rock.

Rory Dollard

Some of their songs bled into one another and there was very little variation on their favourite theme (amplifiers turned up to 11 presumably) but then again I suppose one would go and see Elton John if forlorn balladry was the order of the day.

It must be remembered, of course, that they are only one album into their careers and that when effective (the catchy "Mf From Hell" and recent release "In Love") they do recall all that is good about accepted rock gems like "Kick out the Jams" and "Back in Black".

Overall a successful performance, but one that was more reliant on stage presence, attitude and intent than it was on genuinely quality music.

- Rory Dollard