Cardiac arrest

SS Cardiacs played a great set at Mavericks. They were a kind of artless duo (bassist Mike Small was MIA), but between Leon Taheny's stick-smashing drumming and Jessie Stein's distorto-guitar sounded first rate (unlike my previous grumping about the sound at Mavericks for previous shows, this time the sound was excellent). They were supposed to headline but were in a rush to get to Montreal so The Weapons of Mass Seduction finished the bill.

Jessie Stein does the knees-together move I forever associate with Elvis Costello.



Stein's singing voice is raspy yet girlish, and quite appealing, if a bit of an acquired taste.



A Taheny montage. They were in such a hurry to go he was removing the microphones from his kit as he played the last song.



I'm still fooling around with the old shutter speed, but I think that generally works better with slower film.



I'll be interested to hear what they sound like with their bassist.

• Show reminders: Tonight you can either zip over the border to Quebec and catch The Fiftymen at the Black Sheep, or cross the border into the Glebe and see The Department of Foreign Affairs at Irene's with The Diableros and Caution Press. The Weakerthans and Constantines are playing with Greenfield Main and Andrew Vincent and The Pirates at Barrymore's. If you like your stuff a little more off the beaten track, there's an earlier show at Club SAW: Buried Inside, Zombi, Expatriates, Cancer Bats - music to eat brains to, I'm sure.