THE musical force of nature that is Katzenjammer blew into Manchester and simply laid waste to a delighted audience.

There are few bands around for whom you can use the word joyous, but this multi-talented Norwegian quartet are guaranteed to raise the spirits and leave you grinning from ear to ear by the end of the show.

Celebrating 10 years together, the band take to a stage which looks like a clearance sale at a music shop. I think 20 different instruments were used during a blistering set but I stand to be corrected.

But the many instruments and continual swapping around is no gimmick, these four girls can play. It is not an uncommon sight at the Katzenjammer gig to find whoever is occupying the drum stool for a particular song to also be playing a banjo, guitar or ukelele - at the same time. A child's pink piano, a kazoo and trumpet have also become staples of the set.

Katzenjammer's music is a heady combination of folk, rock, blues and jazz with some inspired lunacy thrown in for good measure.

The frighteningly beautiful God's Great Dust Storm with four point acapella vocals and cannon-like drum reduced a fizzing audience to total awed silence while songs like Lady Grey, Rock Paper Scissors and I Will Dance had everyone singing along with gusto.

Songs from their most recent album Rockland featured prominently in the show and a special treat was served up in a total re-working of The Clash's London Calling.

The energy on-stage proved totally infectious. I can't think of many bands who have such musical ability and just throw themselves into a live show with such total exuberance.

Quite why Katzenjammer aren't absolutely massive remains a compete mystery to me. I have seen scores, indeed hundreds, of bands live over the years.

These four supremely talented, spirited girls from Norway are right up their with the best.

So Solveig, Marianne, Turid and Anne Marit, just one request - can I have my heart back? You stole it from me last night!