The bloke with the biker jacket with the Venom logo adorning the back and the mullet likes it. The young lad in voluminous jeans and a too big Fu Manchu t-shirt likes it. The middle aged man quietly watching, arms folded, sipping at his pint likes it. I like it too.

What is it? It is the ROCK and it has come to town bringing with it one of the greatest vocalists of our time. His name is John Garcia and his pedigree is undeniable, but amidst reports of decidedly poor live shows from his new outfit, Unida on their last European trek, he needs to stamp his authority over the genre whose current popularity he helped lay the foundations for during his time with the almighty Kyuss. Will he manage it? Stay tuned to find out.

First up are Bradford's Khang. Who else is from Bradford? Terrorvision, that's who. Uh-oh. Don't worry, they don't sound like the UK's premier pop-rock idiots. They sound like a brontosaurus running up and down stairs repeatedly. And that's a good thing. Slightly stronger songs and less of the lyrics about falling in love with a gypsy queen (isn't that a type of biscuit?)and they could really be on to something.

Orange (fucking) Goblin (baby) as they'd have it are next and they deserve a special mention for having in their ranks Ben Ward who is officially the tallest, hairiest, most entertaining, gumbiest frontman of all time. The guy's a genius. He plays air guitar, he claps his hands, he exhorts us to "bang those fucking heads, Manchester". The band air lots of new material tonight showcasing more of their bluesier side as first seen on Time Travelling Blues. Unfortunately this sacrifices some of their usual oomph, and things only really get to their high-octane best on fan favourites Blue Snow and Aquatic Fanatic.

Dry ice begins to billow out from around John Garcia's microphone stand and Unida take the stage to raise the quality level a few notches. Garcia informs us that he is "really stoned" and then tells us to "shut the fuck up" as the band slide into Wet Pussycat, almost unrecognisable from the recorded version. Nice. It is immediately obvious that Unida are a genuinely great band. They exude confidence, ooze attitude and are visually dynamic. Garcia is the focal point. He may think he's Jim Morrison, but we'll forgive him that if he keeps on singing as magnificently as he does. He holds the centre stage down, grooving to the mighty whirlwind of that his bandmates conjure up. To his right, Arthur Seay whips his braids around and tears diamond riffs from his guitar while the evenings other ex-Kyuss god, Scott Reeder drills out the steady low end, swaying and flowing in his unique style; barefoot and lost in the bass.

Unida's brand of straight ahead stonerized rock is ideally suited to the live environment, and they lay waste to the venue tonight, particularly with the tracks from The Best of Wayne Gro, and the set's high point is reached with a tumultuous rendition of You Wish, the closing track from their, recently released album, Coping With The Urban Coyote. More involved than much of their other material, it is an epic track, making superb use of dynamics and captivating the crowd.

Garcia closes the triumphant set by stage diving and then asking us to join him for a drink downstairs, showing that he's both a rock god and true man of the people. If only he could do something about the UK's antiquated licensing laws too. (9)

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