Wild Flag

The Cockpit, Leeds - 29/1/12

Kick-ass the Americans would say. BOOM! maybe. The opening salvo of Janet Weiss's bass drum is like thunder in the heart, a precursor to the kind of energy and noise that seize the senses. Four renowned musicians united as Wild Flag, a kind of super-group but more a coming together of hitherto left-field names with a love of visceral, faintly shambolic and shouty rock and roll.

The crowd is an odd mix of young girls and a older men, nobody in between as far as I can make out. Whatever the demographic, Wild Flag take it by the balls and don't let go for 70 utterly thrilling minutes. Chainsaw Buzzcocks guitars, those thumping drums - they have the confidence and stage craft to play to type without fear of irony, and the high kicks and axe poses work because the playing is so defiantly in your face. So when Carrie Brownstein straddles her guitar a la Hendrix you know it's only the intrusive health and safety legislation that deters her from setting it alight.

The songs race by as band leader Weiss just keeps on counting them in. There is the occasional indulgent proggy digression ('Glass Tambourine) which has a few in the crowd shuffling on their feet but this band love their endings and each is executed with panache and vigour.

The final two songs - 'Racehorse' and 'Romance' - finally get the timid Leeds crowd in the kind of groove they clearly regard as the norm. A frenetic encore of The Ramones' 'Do You Wanna Dance' (two false starts - 'is this in "B", no it's in "E") puts a satisfying full stop to the set.

Breathless, frantic and seriously impressive.