Country

When they arrived on the jaded music scene in the early 1980s, US band Jason and The Scorchers were looked upon as a dissonant if beautiful anomaly - a mixture of tuneful country music and searing punk rock. It could never last - or so we thought. Seventeen years later, despite the loud guitars and general musical volatility, there still remains a resonant depth to songs that explore the mournful and spiritual themes found in the best honky-tonk and country music. The band were around long before anyone coined the terms "alt country" or "Americana" and are cited as an important influence by many current country rockers. If you only go to one blast-from-the-past cowpunk gig this year (as you do), make sure it's this one.