Small-town sullenness combined with tuneful sparkle - that's the calling card of The Upper Room (pictured), a Brighton-based four-piece who are hoping to do what they didn't quite in 2004, starting with the re-release, on Monday, of debut single All Over This Town.
A pure mix of spine-tingling melody, jangling Johnny-Marr guitars and carefully enunciated lyrics about the difficulty of keeping your romantic mess-ups private, even when they're largely confined to the environs of a darkened underpass, it has evoked comparisons to The Smiths and Echo And The Bunnymen, which should stimulate interest in their album, due in the summer.
"I want to write earnest, intelligent, heart-on-your-sleeve pop music with interesting lyrics and emotive melodies," says frontman Alex Miller.
"Basically, we're out to reclaim pop."
Generating even more interest than the headliners, however, are support band The Howling Bells, whose lurching blues rock hardly needs the hard-sell of their PJ Harvey-esque frontwoman.
Starts at 8pm, costs £6. Call 01273 699069
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