QTheMusic.com

Gig Review

It most definitely counts as a stage invasion. As The Zutons wound up their set, the latest Q The Music Club show notched up a first, of sorts, when a lone member of the crowd bounced on, and dominated the centre of the stage as Dave McCabe and Abi Harding looked on quizzically.

Granted, not many stage invasions are perpetrated by one cheery chap doing a walking-on-the-spot dance with jazz hands aloft, but it was certainly not in keeping with the usual refined restraint of our series of monthly gigs. But then with supercharged ­ and loud ­ set, The Zutons already stood out against the rather hushed semi-acoustic shows Q has previously hosted.

Their punchy, haystack-haired blues rock has made The Zutons a somewhat unlikely chart success, but with a third top ten album under their belt with You Can Do Anything this year, the band have proved they are no flash in the pan.

Showcasing songs mainly from their latest album, the band roared through a heads-down no-nonsense performance with frontman Dave McCabe barely mumbling an intro to the tracks, in contrast to the raconteurs who had held court at The Hospital Club in the past. McCabe instead allowed the music to do his talking, aside from a short dedication Q as he wound up the show with Why Don't You Give Me Your Love?.

Missing from the setlist, however, was probably their best-known song, Valerie - in all probability a pointed decision rather than absent-minded neglect because the track has now so clearly been claimed by Ronson and Winehouse as their own.