The Long Blondes

This weekend, Skiver's Gigs celebrates its first birthday, so it is only appropriate - if entirely coincidental - that we go back to where we began, with the Long Blondes. Being one of the first acts on the main stage of any festival is hard, but when you are on so early that the video screens aren't working yet is doubly hard. It's fair to say that the band look utterly lost on the vast stage, but this doesn't prevent them thrashing their way through 'Lust in the Movies', 'Seperated By Motorways' and 'Giddy Stratospheres' before most people have begun lunch. Yes, Kate Jackson is dressed like a secretary who nipped out for an hour and, yes, Emma Chaplin remains more ornament than musician, but this is a vastly improved performance on 12 months ago, certainly worth risking indigestion for.