Skif serves up something special in Southsea

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the Vanity Project's second oDD/eVEN night upstairs at the Horseshoe in Southsea on Saturday night.

qhixldekx kicked things off, proving to be the missing link between ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Joy Division, Squarepusher, Nine Inch Nails and synth pop. Anyone who hadn't realised such a link had even been missing received a valuable education from the likes of 'Everytime I Brush My Teeth The Gums Bleed Profusely', 'Top 10 Lists Are Ruining Our Hindsight' and the particularly unhinged 'Burn, Witch, Burn!'

In these terms, the appearance of Reinhardt represented a return to some kind of sanity. Great tracks like 'Romans' and 'Background Noise', both of which appear on an EP I picked up after the show, showcase Dave Jones's wonderful vocals and a real songwriting talent far too assured for the loveably grotty confines of the venue. There's something of the Super Furry Animals about them, if you ask me.

Veteran rabble-rousers Red Letter Day brought things to a close with their scabby punk, and, judging by the crowd response to songs like 'Rain', the recent loss of guitarist and bassist has done little to dampen local enthusiasm and support. Indeed, the new material, written with two members of Thirst onboard, has seen them resigned to Zip Records. Ade and his motley crew don't exactly light my fire, I admit, but it was good to see the godfathers of the local scene still going strong, given their unstinting support for new talent and the respect they accordingly command.

So, "Nice one"'s going out to Leon, Skif, Dave Jones and all those who made the night one to remember. Details of future oDD/eVEN ventures here.