Review - Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Wolverhampton Civic Hall

The enduringly-popular Stourbridge indie quintet Ned's Atomic Dustbin pulled out all the stops during an evening of nostalgia on Saturday night.

Their annual headline gig at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall was a time for fans to remember all their yesterdays. The Ned's played like a band possessed and were supported by fellow indie stalwarts, The Frank and Walters and Cud.

Just for good measure, BBC 6 Music DJ Steve Lamacq span a panoply of tunes between bands, featuring heroes of yesteryear like Power Of Dreams.

Even the weather tried to play its part by evoking memories of 21 years ago, when the Ned's also headlined the Civic Hall. On Saturday, temperatures outside were sub-zero, in 1991, many fans found themselves snowed-in when the gig ended.

The Ned's were part of a Stourbridge scene that also included The Wonderstuff and Pop Will Eat Itself. While those two bands are only occasionally a going concern, the Ned's pack out the Civic year after year.

They do so because they were the band of the people. Their punkish attitude, their infectious indie rock tunes and their connection with the audience made them the people's favourites.

The songs have stood the test of time and they played with an unnerving ferocity and energy on Saturday. Singer Jonn Penney was the most youthful 44-year-old on the planet, pogo'ing like an amphetamined Johnny Rotten.

Age hasn't wearied Ned's and the fans still love 'em. Same time same place next year: let's hope so.

By Andy Richardson