CensoredThe Rescue RoomsFriday 19th December

We here at This City aren't big fans of cover bands. More often than not, their crowd-pleasing mainstream pickings manage to replace any sense of artistic integrity and after not very long, you end up with a mish-mash of sub-Bjorn Again bollocks, aiming for the lowest common denominator and falling way short. Medleys are another thing. Hence, little surprise that we approached opening band King of Slugs with a distinct apprehension, considering their effortless apeing of the more chart-friendly end of Kings of Leon and, ahem, The Script by the conclusion of their first number. Their sluggish (no, shan't apologise) set struggles with faulty equipment, but it's only so much to blame for what is their own doing. Enter Stage Left their two saviours in Lippicool and Jaybe, combining a far tighter repertoire to end their acoustic backing band's malfunctioning misery and wrapping up the now four-piece's set in beatboxed style. What a relief...

Frontiers are fast becoming the buzz-band of the area, and what better way to celebrate their year anniversary than with their first gig at Nottingham's premier live venue. Their set's little out of the ordinary - drummer Jonny's pounding bass introduces them to the stage and Send the Night Away sets the tone for a half-hour of now de rigeur soaring indie-pop - but their new found stage confidence has remoulded the aggression with which they performed this time last year, making them a far more thrilling prospect. 'In Pursuit' and 'Familiar Faces' are old favourites by this point and the brutality with which EP centrepieces 'If You Think You Know Me' and 'On the Mend' are tossed aside suggests a band with far more impressive ideas up their sleeves.

Censored have a fresh swagger. Somewhere between the final Club SOS and here they've rethought, and tonight marks the return of a fuller, more aggressive band; an Arctic Monkeys v2.0 compared to the Britpop-lite of their earlier 'Dancefloor' days, if you will. They may stray little from their usual Kula Shaker/Shed Seven roots, but the fact that their pedals are, throughout, to the metal suggests some newly tapped energy and while ramshackle, older affairs like 'Lonesome Town' fail to get the SOS response of old, it's not for want of trying; with drummer Chris bounding about the stage, it's difficult to not warm to them regardless of a somewhat frosty crowd - doubtless down to the bitterness outside. Ultimately, it's high-fives all round for a tight set, with room for guitarist Matt's more psychedelic side to roam free, and while it's their last set before Christmas, it's certainly warmed this weathered journo's cockles.

Censored played:

• The Way It Is
• Lonesome Town
• I Can't Stand The Pain
• All You Gotta Do Is Ask
• What's Done Is Done
• When You Come Along
• 22 Days
• In the Presence of the Lord
• Nothin'

www.myspace.com/censoredville
www.myspace.com/frontiersofficial
www.myspace.com/kingofslugs