The Du-Rell Family

A quarter hour wait in the corridor while the band warmed-up was probably not an ideal start - and as one of only four people in the audience, one feared the worst. But to my surprise, the Texas Chainsaw trailer-trash look of the alt-country quartet (a double Handsome Family of sorts) brought about a wry smile from within. Figurehead of the act (and I mean act), is Laurel, a stunning peroxide 'country-Madonna', who, in turn, strips from a rural mama's-girl frock and headscarf down to a vest, thigh-cut jeans, cowboy boots and bumpkin-baseball cap - very Daisy Duke.

Squeezed next to her 'country cousins/siblings' – a murder-balladeering multi-instrumentalist, an oriental electric violinist, a cardboard cut-out of their double bassist (who died tragically at the end of July, and the show is a tribute to him) plus Patti on washboard percussion - , this bawdy tongue-in-cheek outfit from the Deep South (of England) get their message across via originals, 'Bad Girl', 'Nightmare' and the almost psych C&W of their last number, 'Swamp Massacre'. Predicting big things for the band, that's if they can manage to get that all-important finale track together.

Zoo Southside, 662 6892, until 14 Aug, 9--10 pm, £8 (£6)