Sleeper at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea REVIEW: A welcome return for the Britpop stars

This sold-out comeback show at the Wedgewood Rooms is part of what is proving to be successful revival.

The band seemed genuinely overwhelmed and chuffed to bits at not only their triumphant Victorious Festival appearance this summer but by the reaction of the crowd tonight.

Unlike the rest of us lead singer Louise Wener seems to have been cryogenically preserved from the last time she was on the Wedgewood Rooms stage some 20 years ago.

Back in the day she was a rather nervous performer but now she strides around the stage with a vivacious confidence, the smile wider than ever.

Musically, they're as strident as ever were, and if anything even punchier. 

There is room for their crowd-pleasing version of Blondie's Atomic, which was originally on the soundtrack of cult 90's film Trainspotting, buts it's a spiky Inbetweener, their first top 20 hit that closes a wonderful set.

Not surprisingly the band were soon back on for encores, and the crowd were soon clapping and cheering to a set-closing run through of Sale of The Century.

With a new album pending and another tour already announced, it's good to know they'll be around for a while, at least.