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Something rather large is going down beneath The Arches in Leeds' premier tin hanger. A timid and ever-expectant Cockpit crowd are suddenly aroused by lead-man Grant Moorhouse's explosive blast of "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh" which ignites into potential mosh classic, 'Quarrels in Confidence'. The tyrant of guitar noise exudes the energy of an overcooked apple turnover and within seconds, the faces of the crowd change to reflect that of a startled mearcat. The Stolen have arrived in your ears (not like that). They have the rawness of pre-splurge Pigeon Detectives and an edge sharper than the daggers between Romulus and Remus. They have the art of the 3 minute pop song down to a finely-crafted cum sweaty tee, with songs like 'Dead Man's Shoes' and 'Rumour Has it'. The lyrics are thoughtful (You could have been something - it remains to be seen) and relatable to most of us post-adolescent drunken eedyits(I was stumbling around like a fool/I was a sight). After crowd-pleaser 'Kinky Alright' and a nod from whirlwhind bassist Mark Caswell to Yorkshire Day, the fiercely proud Halifax upstarts sign off with 'Excuses, Excuses', which relays an audio-assault on the crowd's ears (a pleasurable assault - like being gently spanked or being hit in the head with a Balzac) with leading lyric "I always refer to someone else so I don't put myself in the foreground" as impressive as the frustratingly fantastic guitar loop. The Stolen are becoming the premium post-Libertine band, keeping ideas fresh and continue to be impervious to any doubting labels who are yet to see the light.Simon C Wood 02/08/08