The Beautiful South

Empress Ballroom, Blackpool

THE Beautiful South have always been about two things -- great songs and great singing -- and this performance was no exception.

The gig -- a warm-up for their forthcoming arena tour -- was slick, smooth and sounded great.

Hull's finest have been lumbered with an unfair reputation for being a non-event live, criticised for having little inter-song chat and even less stage presence. Whether or not this was once true matters not, because here they were as lively and as electric as you could wish for. Their new album is a huge stride forward.

They kicked off with From Under The Covers, an early track for the band's debut which stands the test of time well. Have Fun, a highlight from Blue Is The Colour, followed, with new song Just Checkin' there as well. The fragile beauty of the ballad Masculine Eclipse was a highlight from the album.

The new material blended well with old favourites 36D, Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud) and Perfect 10. One particular standout was Final Spark, a gorgeous duet between Jacqueline and Dave.

The Beautiful South burn ever brightly in British music. Who knows, perhaps now they can finally throw off the label of being everyone's second favourite band.

TIM ASH