Hit and miss, but for 20 quid?

NME Awards Tour, Manchester Academy
TO see a decent band for less than £20 is a rare treat.

To pay that to watch four is bordering on cut-price!

But that’s what the NME Awards Tour offered at Manchester Academy on Friday night. And though the line-up proved a bit hit and miss, you couldn’t question the bang you got for your buck.

The tour offers emerging artists the chance to grab a bit of the limelight. Some take it, some don’t.

Opening act Peace fell into the latter camp.

The Birmingham four-piece look like blokes who were pulled in off the street and thrown straight on stage. They have a few decent tunes, but it all got a bit lost in the Academy’s large room.

The same cannot be said of the Parma Violets. Named after the sweets — which they were giving away at the merchandise stalls — the Londoners have been likened to the Libertines.

They don’t quite have the tunes to match Doherty, Barat and co, but you could travel a long way and not find a better mix of punky basslines, jangly-but-punchy guitars and spiky vocals.

Then came the star of the show. Miles Kane recently collaborated with fellow Mod Gods Paul Weller and Bradley Wiggins. Never mind Tour de France — this was a tour de force from the Scouse songsmith.

The prospect of another hour of entertainment after that was a tantalizing one, but Django Django couldn’t match Kane’s fireworks.

I’ve always felt this critically-acclaimed indie-electro band are a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes. And the stream of punters heading for the exits proved I wasn’t alone..