Back in the early 90s, The Blue Aeroplanes were an arty beat-combo fronted by poet/lyricist Gerard Langley. Their songs were a mix of rock and folk, and often Gerard would just speak the vocals rather than sing. They never obtained widespread mainstream success, but held onto a strong undercurrent of support to release 11 studio albums and gain praise from famous fans such as Michael Stipe, who guest-vocals on one of their records.

Fast forward to 2006 and they're back, doing a mini-tour in promotion of their new album and the re-release of their best album 'Swagger'. I caught up with them last night at The Charlotte in Leicester. Gerard is older these days of course, but he still has all the moves. He takes to the stage wearing a black suit (jacket with no lapels), black t-shirt underneath, and black sunglasses. Joining him are three guitarists, all vying to be the loudest, and a laid-back drummer who permanently has a fag on. The venue is sadly only sparsely attended, perhaps only about 50 people have turned up for the show, but this certainly doesn't deter Gerard and the band.

The set list includes songs new and old, with highlights being 'Jacket Hangs' (a permanent fixture on any BA gig) and 'The Applicant' (a Sylvia Plath poem, put to music). The evening is ended with 'Yr Own World' and '..And stones'. The sound level is far far too loud, and this detracts from the intricacy of some of the guitar playing. But Langley seems to revel in it, at times standing at the side of the stage watching his three guitarists dueling for the most infinite noise. Langley nods and smiles, almost with pride.

There is a football cliche that commentators often use: "Form is temporary.. Class is permanent". Absolutely true.

Nick Kuohu