A little over two months after their first major UK tour of 2002, Cyclefly returned to the south coast with their long awaited second album 'Crave' now available for public consumption.  In February the band played a confident set of mostly new material to a modest crowd at the Southampton Joiners Arms.  Now they've progressed to Portsmouth's Wedgewood Rooms, and have given their fans down this way a chance to sing along with the recently learnt lyrics to the new album.

Cyclefly have gained a small but loyal following since the release of their 1999 debut album 'Generation Sap', but have unfortunately found themselves rather lazily classified in the tired Nu-metal category by music journalists and record stores alike.  Cyclefly's longevity, and the fact that their brand of rock predated Nu-metal by a long way is testament to their superiority over the generally God-awful Nu-metal bands around today.  In a music scene where Nu-metal bands are fast becoming this decade's manufactured boy bands, Cyclefly deserve better than to be so flippantly dismissed in this way (are you listening Andy Capper of the NME?).

That Cyclefly are a band to be taken seriously is highlighted by the lack of prepubescent, pre-teenage rock "fans" this evening: the Wedgewood Rooms may not be sold out tonight, but the fans that are here are enthusiastic connoisseurs of good metal and rock.  I had been worried that the publicity surrounding 'Crave' (and the rather questionable guest vocalist from Linkin Park on 'Karma Killer') would provoke a siege on the Wedgewood Rooms by the sort of music fans who have to be dropped off and picked up by their parents (as happened when A visited the Pyramids recently).  Thankfully, the crowd here tonight seem to appreciate music of the non-throwaway variety, and Cyclefly respond well to them.

Vocalist Declan and his band don't take to the stage until well past ten o'clock, but soon blast their way through an hour of tracks taken from both albums.  Cyclefly are one of very few bands these days who sound better live than on record.  The set was a very tight and rigid performance (if a little short for a well-respected venue such as this) that had a far superior sonic quality to it than the recorded material.  A frequent critical comment about 'Crave' is its "tinny" production.  There are no such words about their live re-creations: the tracks sound punchy and full on.  Declan is a great frontman for a rock band, and his distinctive voice balances well on top of the music.  Welcome additions to the set list this evening are a number of the slower tracks from Cyclefly's back catalogue, such as the almost melancholic 'Whore' and the title track from the latest album. 

So, a great set from a band with a cult following, which left us all wanting more even after two encores.  Cyclefly are lined up for this year's Ozzfest, but I'm kind of left hoping they won't become too big a group, and get hijacked by a fan base that is fast becoming old enough to be spawned by myself.

Review: Andrew Morrison