Marfa Lights

So what, I hear you ask, is a Marfa Light? Is it some kind of cigarette, or possibly a brand of beer? Actually, the name comes from a mysterious phenomenon which occurs regularly in the town of Marfa, Texas. Not much is known about this band from Seattle, except that their lead singer, Steve Mack, used to be in That Petrol Emotion, and that their new album, Tensor, kind of sticks to the same corrosive guitar formula of that Northern Irish band's album, Chemicrazy.

And why, you ask, should we care? Well, the answer is, we didn't care much, hence the poor turnout at the Mean Fiddler last night. Blame the curse of Friday 13th, but when support band The Ultra Montanes strutted onstage they had to content themselves with preening in front of only a couple of dozen punters. Undaunted, singer Rory O'Keefe went through all the alien motions, fighting the rather flat sound with some sharp stage presence.

By the time the Marfas went on, the venue had filled to a respectable level, but when the band launched into Lift Off they were in danger of crashing to Earth in a flurry of guitars and drums. Mack's soaring vocals were instantly recognisable, but the grungy American guitar style was all too familiar - and none too engaging. Marfa Lights sounded like a tired old college band who couldn't find their way out of the circuit, and so were condemned to perform aimless guitar riffs and forgettable tunes to a bored audience.