GoodBooks

Let's be honest, their name doesn't inspire excitement. It makes me think of Richard & Judy, or of curling up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of tea. Fortunately their music rapidly dispels such associations. These Kent-based young upstarts are tonight supporting the Sounds. Despite a malfunctioning synth and an audience baying for Swedish lesbo-pop, GoodBooks deliver a half-hour of music that’s both thrillingly energetic and subtly intelligent.

New single 'Passchendaele' is a case in point, a beguilingly catchy anthem on the unlikeliest of subjects – the victims of two World Wars. It’s surprising to hear a song so nostalgia-soaked from ones so young, and for a comparable pop commentary on 'the English way' you’d probably have to go back to Roger Waters-era Pink Floyd.

Indeed GoodBooks manage to pull off the improbable feat of sounding both old beyond their years and urgently youthful. They share the breathless kineticism of Talking Heads, but with an added flair for melody. Frontman Max Cooke also seems to have developed a distinctive and compelling guitar style. They’re clearly a band with enormous potential. I for one can’t wait to turn over and see what happens next.