Jesus & Mary Chain, London
Lost In Translation didn't just forge unlikely relationships in the movie, it evidently also did so off-screen. The use in the film of the Jesus & Mary Chain track Just Like Honey has sparked a renaissance in their coolness, enabled by Scarlett Johansson guesting on backing vocals. All of which good fortune once seemed unlikely for the group. An indie band, but also an arty rock'n'roll one, their feedback-strafed sounds concealed a grasp of pop, even as it created their mid-80s notoriety. Diminishing returns thereafter finally dwindled to nothing with the band's last LP Munki, but, 10 years on, their status as noisy indie elders is definitely welcome.
· Roundhouse, NW1, Wed 12
Panic At The Disco, on tour
Panic may have dropped the exclamation mark from their name, but their music remains as histrionic as ever. From Las Vegas, releasing records on Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz's Fueled By Ramen label, and drawing support from emo dorks everywhere, Panic remain a pretty interesting pop group. For sure, in common with their bushy-haired, self-pitying contemporaries, they've got more than their share of wordiness - and occasional misogyny - but they seem to have dropped the whining, while losing none of their theatricality. Drawing less on the lightweight punk rock on which they grew up, and more on the Beatles and Beach Boys, the current single Nine In The Afternoon sees them rejecting the darkness of the teenage bedroom, and ultimately embracing a psychedelic sunshine. It's for the best.
· Birmingham Academy, Sun 9; Roundhouse, NW1, Mon 10; Manchester Academy, Wed 12; Glasgow Academy, Thu 13; Leeds University, Fri 14
Foals, on tour
A bit like the American group Battles did last year by adapting their rhythms to beat mixes, Foals are taking the jerky, complicated rock music that they understudied with in their previous post-rock and math-rock incarnations, and attempting to make it danceable. It's an undeniably ambitious project, but this is a single-minded group. Not only do they rock a unique line in self-cut hair, they have exercised a pretty commendable control over their own sound: hip as he may be, the band discarded a mix of their debut LP Antidotes by Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio, to better pursue a noise of their own. The results are a bit reminiscent of Bloc Party at times, but the band are best with the straightforward indie world music of their Cassius single. Here they provide danceable proof that if you fill, rather than free your mind, your ass may still follow.
· The Brickyard, Carlisle, Sat 8; Newcastle upon Tyne Academy 2, Sun 9; QMU, Glasgow, Mon 10; Manchester Academy 2, Tue 11; Birmingham Academy 2, Wed 12; Waterfront, Norwich, Fri 14
