Puggy are Belgian. Bands I know that come from Belgium include Soulwax and... that's it. So I don't know if I'm just being really unimaginative (quite possible) when I say that Puggy remind me quite a lot of Soulwax (the band, not the remixes).

At any rate, that's no bad thing. If you think of Soulwax covering Muse, with a highly-polished sheen designed to make them palatable for Maroon 5 fans, you get some idea of what Puggy are about.

In Kilburn's cosy Power's Bar the other night they put on a live performance which made a complete mockery of the fact that it was a free show. I've paid fifteen quid and seen gigs half as entertaining, with half as many decent songs.

It's not intended as a backhanded compliment when I describe Puggy's live performance as "efficient". They've supported Incubus in Europe, and their whole vibe does just beg for arena exposure. I wouldn't bet against them achieving that.

Debut album "Dubois Died Today" is perhaps a little long at fourteen tracks, but there are more than enough infectious songs to make it worth listening to. Apparently the lyrics include references to "death, brothels and crime", so that's nice.

"Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" and album opener "Dubois" were highlights for me last night - you can see the video for the latter song below. Puggy are off back to their homeland now, but I'd be surprised if they're not back in the UK soon.

Puggy - Dubois

[video provided by Puggybandcom]

Came straight to this page? Visit www.mychemicaltoilet.com for all the latest news.