I AM KLOOT, Hop and Grape, Manchester

WHEN John Bramwell takes to the dimly lit stage the first words out of his mouth are "Manchester la la la Manchester" -- a throwback to those heady days when Madchester ruled the airwaves and such chants greeted any band that were from the town and even those that weren't (ie Charlatans).

But John wasn't trumpeting the fact that those days are back -- far from it -- he was merely mocking the days when as plain old Johnny Dangerously, mover and shaker on that scene and sometime TV presenter, he would no doubt have sung it for real. But that was a long time ago.

More than a decade on he has dropped the Dangerously, picked up the guitar, formed I Am Kloot and written the best debut album ever by a northern band.

Where some bands may have opted to stick on lush orchestrations in the production stages Natural History is a stripped-down album of nothing less than melodic brilliance, with that added bite of northern wit, which makes a live version seem near perfect. 86 TVs has the best hook since the Lightning Seeds' Pure which, although it doesn't sound like it, is a massive compliment.

With a baying crowd, it is only a matter of time before I Am Kloot cross the line into the mainstream. Manchester la la la indeed!

JAMIE DIFFLEY