The Coral

> UEA LCR, Norwich

Critics have hailed The Coral as the next great British band.

At certain points of their performance at the LCR last night, like the joyful sixties swing of early single Dreaming of You, it looked like they may have a point.

The band attempted to capture the cheesy horror-movie feel of the latest album, The Invisible Invasion, by entering the stage, complete with unearthly cave backdrop, to the sounds of evil cackles and shrouded in ghostly green mist.

Skulls, scowling eyes and strange creatures projected behind the band went well with the psychedelic, slightly twisted songs, though the illusion was occasionally shattered by such jaunty slices of sunshine as Pass It On and latest single In the Morning, a huge hit with the keyed-up crowd.

The evening shattered any misconceptions that the band are a one-trick pony, as songs like the frantic, dramatic and slightly dangerous A Warning to the Curious clashed with lilting reggae and the catchy bop of Bill McCai - a dark tale of suburban suicide.

The furious, feedback-ridden stomp of closer Arabian was possibly as unlike their trademark sound as can be, but was more exciting for it.

The Coral are original, talented and hard to classify, but their bewildering range of music almost worked against them, as they dazzled but failed to really satisfy.