Nine Black Alps, Windsor Hotel, Kirkcaldy

It’s a testament to any band’s talents if they are able to perform to a sparse crowd in a small venue or a vast crowd at an expansive open-air festival with the same amount of aggression and commitment. Following the release of last year’s fourth album ‘Sirens’, Nine Black Alps have found themselves touring some lesser-visited towns in the UK, and this show in a hotel function room in Kirkcaldy feels like rather a strange venue for a rock gig. No matter, despite the environment the Manchester band easily whip up their own storm of noise.

The first part of the set features three songs from 2005 debut ‘Everything Is’. It’s striking just how well they still stand up and tonight they’re delivered with a heavy crunch and a louche snarl. ‘Cosmopolitan’ is angrily dedicated to anyone who spends their time complaining about public transport. The band seem pleasingly ambivalent to the lukewarm reaction of a crowd not particularly used to visits from such groups. Singer Sam Forrest is an engaging presence throughout, endearingly wondering just how to pronounce the name of the town while at one point collapsing to the ground creating a swirl of feedback and noise during the breakdown in ’Heavier Than Water’.

Encouragingly the new songs from ’Sirens’ are among the highlights. Both ‘Be My Girl’ and ‘Don’t Forget To Breath’ rattle along on a Nirvana-like melodic attack. Reaffirming their commitment to never do encores, the band finish the set with another three highlights from their debut. Closer ‘Shot Down’ remains an underrated highlight from the last decade, a piece of vital and energised rock that has aged terribly well.

The preponderance of songs from their debut album suggests that Nine Black Alps may be striving to once again reach that level but on the suggestion of tonight’s performance and the new songs featured they are still a band who have a great deal to offer.