London Marquee

THERE IS a centre piece to The Godfathers' set which is called 'I Want You'. It power accelerates outwards through a crashing tambourine, razzmatazz drumming, an elastic 'yurrrrgh' from a guitar and a four way vocal refrain that blasts the title into your head. You notice that the 'Want' is the significant and active linguistic ingredient. In a later song the singer screams: 'I want everything and I want it now' underlining the element of sizzling desire which underpins their music.

The Godfathers seem to pledge themselves to a near puritanical vision of rock and roll, a vision built from the fusion of mid '60s energy and morés (“this one's for all the girls”) and the honed aggression of the mid '80s which results in an ability to persuasively cut through a pop market/scene polarised between sweet trivia and leaden dogmas.

Inevitably, though, the subtleties and precise intentions sometimes get bent out of shape by the practicalities of playing live and in a place such as this. The numbers, of which there are several, which fail to resonate immediately through the mind make The Godfathers sound like purveyors of an average racket and leave you wishing for a bit more variety than is provided by a fistful of instrumentals.

But ultimately, or at least on the night, the Godfathers win through because they look and sound as though they want to be up there on the stage. It's only by seeing them and hearing the resounding clout of that above mentioned desire – that you realise what a rare thing this is.