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Goldie Lookin Chain, Lockdown Project @ Academy 3

LOCALISED: Goldie Lookin Chain

LIKE a phoenix rising from a puddle of sick, so mid-90s corporate funk rock lives and breathes on the stage of the Academy 3.

Tonight's support act, Bath's Lockdown Project, stomp about the stage delivering their sterile take on funk-rock. Featuring an acoustic guitar and sexless basslines, Lockdown Project are every bad Red Hot Chili Peppers single to the power 10.

Every utterance is a teeth-clenching cliché from Planet Kravitz - it might surprise you to know that 'Love makes the world go round' and that they're 'Living in a dream world'. Then mercifully they're gone and the crowd breathes a collective sigh of relief.

An hour later, the mega-hyped Welsh eight-piece cram themselves onto the stage and in an instant transform the venue into a bouncing celebration.

Decked out in fake gold, baseball caps and cheap tracksuits, Goldie Lookin Chain shove each other around, each member scrabbling for the space to deliver their stupendously stupid rhymes.

The opening song, about a man called Billy Whizz, sees them instantly endearing themselves to the crowd with "You knows all about that, with your Shaun Ryders, you knows it Manchester!"

Tight

The audience roars, punches the air and passes jazz cigarettes around like sweets. More a pantomime than a 'proper' gig, everyone watching is nodding to the impressively tight backing track and grinning widely at the lovable morons onstage.

Each GLC member take turns to unleash their flow, tossing out gems like "We're the Goldie Lookin Chain, right, like Windsor Davies in Never The Twain".

Their inspired take on Sting's classic Englishman In New York sees Mystikal take centre-stage while his crew bellow "He's the alchemist, he's the illegal alchemist in Newport".

With their localised take on social commentary - addressing pressing issues such The Maggot's sideline in 'sexy dvds' and the rollerdisco they used to go to as kids - GLC are the more amusing little brother of The Streets.

They'll no doubt be back claiming Job Seekers' Allowance this time next year but, as with all the best novelty pop acts, prove massively entertaining for the moment.

At one point during the show, the GLC known as Eggsy yells "We're the most unprofessional act to grace this stage!" while giving high fives to the front row.

Undoubtedly true, but they're also the most entertaining act to hit Manchester in months.

What did you think of the gig? Have your say.

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