Review | The Mudd Club at The Wedge of The Wedge, Southsea: 'Thrilling stuff'

And blessed as they were by glorious sunshine, there was still something rather incongruous about watching scuzzy garage-rockers outside in broad daylight. The confines of The Edge are rather more fitting to the kind of racket these bands conjure up.

First up are AlterModerns – a duo from Brazil but based in Bristol. Ananda Kuhn on drums, Glauco Caruso on guitar and both trading on vocals create a thrilling, intense racket. There’s politics in there – it’s safe to say they’re no fans of the Tories, and there are entreaties to take to the streets. But you can also just as easily lose yourself in the roiling rhythms and squalling guitars.

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Headliners The Mudd Club are American-born step-siblings Sadie Morningstar and Julian West up front and on drums respectively, plus Joe Trudgeon on bass. Formed when Sadie was still a teen and Julian a mere nine years old (he’s now 15) and they were still based in Kansas, the band have since relocated to the UK with their parents and are touring their second album, Gimme A Thrill.

If you give said album a spin at home you can hear how the trio have come on in leaps and bounds since their admittedly great debut, Bottle Blonde. But live those new songs leap out and grab you – the playing is tighter, the riffs better – there’s punk, garage and surf rock in there – as well as numerous nods to good ol’ rock’n’roll.

West displays a command of his kit which belies his years while Trudgeon keeps it locked in as his brother in rhythm.

This allows Morningstar to strut her stuff as the undoubted star of the show – her voice moving easily from a sneer to a howl. Thanks to a certain TV show, the expression ‘X-factor’ has been somewhat debased, but whatever it is, the band’s frontwoman has it.

The sole encore is a respectful cover of garage-rock godfathers The Sonics’ The Witch.

‘Maturity’ can be a dirty word in music – a code word for ‘dull’ – and while the Club have indeed upped their game, they haven’t lost that effervescent, youthful edge. It is, indeed, thrilling stuff.