Performance by the numbers

Six By Seven | Astoria, London

Six By Seven's singer Chris Olley, an unfeasibly tall Jimmy Nail look-a-like, is not out to entertain. Eye contact is a no-no and he addresses the audience just once during the show - to say good-bye.

The song titles say it all, really: "My Life Is an Accident", "Eat Junk, Become Junk", and the simple but effective "Oh Dear". It's an utterly cheerless evening, though made all the more affecting by Olley's raging passion. For him, live performance appears to be a spleen-venting exercise, akin to a therapy session where the down-hearted indulge in bouts of remedial grunting. There is precious little communication between the band either, with each member seemingly locked in the thrall of his own fury.

Six By Seven have become notorious for the intensity of their live shows and for the first 20 minutes they are truly exhilarating. At times, though, they aim too high and become dangerously close to disappearing up their own fundament. As a means of emotional release, the employment of white noise and Mogwai-style wig-outs is doubtless very helpful for Olley and friends, though the rest of us may need a dose of therapy to get over it.

Mercifully, the band have a reflective streak; it is only when they adopt a subtler approach with brooding melodies and low-key guitar and keyboard effects that they really engage with the crowd. In his quieter moments, Olley also reveals himself to have an angelic voice, a remark which will no doubt prompt the singer to take a meat cleaver to his vocal chords. It's like catching Jimmy Nail in his wife's high-heels.