Hometown shows by bands with a `following’ are never great. Too many people wanting to be seen to be there. The size of the guest list queue is usually a good indicator of the kind of blaggery going on.

Happy Mondays at Manchester Central – what was G-Mex – fell right into the above category. Plus it was near Christmas so plenty were in a `festive’ frame of mind.

Festive as newts, and the atmosphere could best be described as `challenging’. Lots of did you spill my pint-style fronting up by kagoul-clad scallies.

Good vibes in the area were few and far between especially as The Twang were the support. Heralded as the return of a Madchester spirit, they were actually a tuneless, shouty mess.

That didn’t spoil the main event, but actually led quite seamlessly into it.

The Mondays have obviously got a bunch of absolutely killer tunes and were a visceral live experience on the right night, but this wasn’t one of them. Even trading on old glories would have been too kind a description.

Poorest sound I’ve ever heard didn’t help them either.

I’ve given them a wide berth since although by all accounts – and by that I mean a few people who’ve seen them recently – they’re a good deal better now than the mess they were in then.

Maybe time to give them another chance. I mean, who doesn’t love this…a blinding remix of an already great track.