It's dark in here. And I'm not just talking about the lack of lighting. At the Glofysh/Shelter benefit gig in the Guildhall, EVERYONE is wearing black. Gloucester has gone Goth once more, and everyone's having a great time - in a moribund, nihilistic kind of way, of course.

Forgetful Cheltonians:

The gig starts with Amnesia Valley, a Cheltenham four-piece with an album out soon ("But never mind about that, we're just here to play some music," they say). Amnesia Valley are a dynamic, rage filled band with a dynamic, rage filled vocalist.

For an angst filled band, Amnesia Valley are not at all bad. For a start, their angst seems genuine - which always helps. "This is the sound of the underdog," runs the lyric of their opening song. It seems appropriate given the cause. Elsewhere, the anger, confusion and despair continues with lines like "take me away" and "I have nothing".

Lost:

Another song features the the lyric: "I don't know where I am/I don't know how I got here tonight" floating above a Street Spirit-y guitar line. With their lyrics and the accompanying thumping bass guitar motifs and gentler, despairing guitar melodies, Amnesia Valley have clearly mastered their craft.

The lead singer is powerful with a capital POW. At one moment his voice soars in a delicate falsetto, the next he is sneering a snide sneer of vitriol, and the next he's just yelling a pure, desperate yell.

Primal Scream:

The last song on their set list is a perfect example of all the above. It ends with a scream that steadily descends into the depths of Hell itself. You could call it Human Feedback.

Go Straight to Jayl:

Next up comes Jayl. Except it is not just Jayl. He is accompanied by a wealth of singers, dancers and musicians. The stage is bathed in a vibrant sea of colour that contrasts heavily with the monochomatism of the audience. Dancers dance, singers dance, even the musicians dance. Well, they wave their guitars about a bit, anyway.

Opening song, "Sorcery" is a high octane rush of exciting dance music infused with political philosophy. If Jayl were to stand for an election, this would be his manifesto. The song, as with all the others in his set, is performed with the ambitiousness and professionalism that you would see on Top of the Pops. By the end of just one song, the dancers look exhausted. Well, it's one way to keep fit, I suppose.

Go with the Flow:

Following the performance of the single, "Sweet Baby Shark", the music moves on to become a showcase for some more experimental ideas. "I've been experimenting a lot with computers,' Jayl announces, by way of introduction to the next song. 'And we're going to do this [hypnotic] thing. I don't know what it is yet, but it's called "Flow".

Apart from being called "Flow" the song is something very strange. Two girls arrive on stage, one entirely covered in white, the other in maroon, dancing around the platform like synchronised swimmers.

Clad in masks in the respective colours, it is difficult to tell whether they are supposed to be fencers who have forgotten to bring their fences, or members of bizarre music-and-movement obsessed cult.

The Rise of the House of Jayl:

Another case of experimentalism can be found in "Four Beasts in One". Named after one of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, Jayl tells us that it's inspired by the work of David Bowie, The Who and Leonard Cohen.

As the song begins, it is clear that we are no longer at a music gig. We are at a debut performance of a piece of conceptual modern dancing. Four dancers arrive on stage and hide under a giant white sheet. As the music progresses, they form bizarre shapes beneath the sheet, no doubt representing the beast of the title.

This is the kind of thing you used to do as a kid when you pretended to be a ghost. Here, these dancers, are getting the chance to relive the activity on stage, with a paying audience. Life's a bit strange like that.

Uplifting:

Towards the end of the set, Jayl's music returns to the more conventional side of things with songs like "Dare" which inspires the listener to "get off your arse and go for more", "Chiming" which is described as a "song of hope", and the finale, a brand new romantic song that Jayl has composed with his brother.

It is, by his own admission, a bit of a departure from his usual output (even if "the usual output" is, itself, rather eclectic), and it is, perhaps, for this reason that there is something about the song that jars slightly. It's a rather cheesy 80s film credit track of a song. And when matched to the dark, intensity and insight of songs like "Dare" and "Sorcery" it just seems a little bit too light and fluffy.

Jayl Has Left the Building:

At the end, Jayl invites all the performers on stage to take a bow. With the theatrical nature of the show we've just seen, it's only right that Jayl's performance should end with a (curtain-less) curtain call. It reflects his mantra that his performances are not just about himself, but the production as a whole.

How to be a Gothic Music Fan:

Hold out your palm. Close down your ring and middle fingers. Hold your hand up in the air. Congratulations. You can now be a fan of Inkubus Sukkubus, the gothic band with loud guitars, jet black hair and a great pair of leather trousers.

Mediaeval Music:

There are some things that you do not expect at a rock gig. And a krummhorn is one of them. Mediaeval instruments such as the krummhorn should only ever be found hiding in Mediaeval instrument museums.

They are horrible, reedy instruments that produce a tuneless noise. Apart from when Inkubus Sukkubus use them (or their synthetic equivalent, at least) when they become interesting, mysterious and good.

The bass and lead guitarists enter, playing an anthemic gothic opener over synthesised krummhorns and drums, before lead singer Candia Ridley floats onto the stage and begins the set proper.

It's Witchcraft:

Despite songs with titles like "Smile and Torment", there is a fair amount of cheerfulness to the music. There are so many smiles that the torment is barely visible. The songs sometimes feature fantastical allusions to angels, demons, devils and monsters.

One song is "a cheeky little number called 'Vampire Erotica'," Candia tells us. At another point, she breaks into an unaccompanied, beautiful rendition of the jazz standard "Witchcraft".

Other songs are more about real life. "Conquestadors" is a highly emotional, damning, acoustic song featuring lyrics such as "They have come to rape the earth." But even here, among the complaints about the world's failings, there is a humour that many other less morosely dressed bands can only dream of.

Cover Versions:

The smile and lack of torment continues with a high powered delivery of the Rolling Stone's "Paint it Black". It's venomous and fun at the same time. Something that Vanessa Carlton never quite managed.

There is another cover version as well. Dedicated to the Goddess Kylie, it's a little known number called "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Listening to it, you would think that Kylie had borrowed it from Inkubus Sukkubus, rather than the other way.

Like all their songs, it is delivered with a galloping ferocity (dum-de-de-dum de-de dum-de-de-dum) while mystical chanting takes the part of the famous "la-la"s of the Ms. Minogue original.

Drinking Songs:

The performance ends in the same spirit as it began. The final, pre-encore song, is a rousing tribute to a drink: "Jaegermeister". If Oasis were to sing a song called "Carling", it would never have the same effect. Perhaps it's just as well that they haven't.

Inkubus Sukkubus also have an album coming out soon. Expect more galloping drums, krummhorns and the sonic equivalent of shiny leather trousers. But also expect cheekiness and large doses of Jaegermeister.

07/03/04 - First published on www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire on this link