McQueen + The Tommys - University of Warwick, 03/ 03/ 06 - Screamingtarts.com

There's something very depressing about the apparent place of women in the rock music world. Even relatively progressive venues such as Warwick's student union (hosting "Coventry's biggest rock/indie night") see fit to bill an "all girl night" simply because of the abnormality of all-girl rock bands, describing both of the evening's acts in their literature along the line of "the female version of…" Nevertheless, it's a positive thing that in such a male-dominated industry there are still a good number of female bands with a real fire and passion in them - even if the major labels would like to pretend there're not there - and on this night two quite different, but equally good examples take to the stage.
The Tommys are unfortunate enough to have been compared in the past to the likes of Busted. Anyone making such a claim can't possible have seen the surprisingly young but incredibly talented group, who have a real flair for natural, genuine pop punk. The first half of their set began at a jaunty pace and got progressively faster with every song until the band were pounding out their cheery numbers at an impressive velocity. The rhythm section in particular was mildly awe-inspiring to watch, with bass player Tania Kawalit fingers danced nimbly over her instrument whilst the drums kept the considerable pace.

Lead woman Jess Bell is totally suited to her role, stalking the stage like a pro and looking like she's just stepped out of one of the 1980s incarnations of Girlschool. The rest of a band are a little static and seem almost shy at times, but give them time and it's likely they'll be an even more engaging act.

McQueen are another band with a pretty punk attitude but (especially compared to the upbeat, accessible Tommys) have a very dark, practically feral presence. Their music is powerfully aggressive, but at the same time strangely brittle. A heavy bass presence acts as a foundation of sorts whilst the razor sharp guitar work rounds out the sound. The band is incredibly tight, and the girls' confidence allows them to bound around the stage with an energy that slowly begins to be reflected in a crowd hardly expecting such an imposing act (and at first appears to be in mild shock).

Lead singer Leah Duors is a commanding presence, arrogantly charismatic and flaunting her sexuality like a weapon. She's easily capable of singing in a captivatingly melodic manner but more often than not she'll be letting loose angry, emotional shrieks like a tightly controlled banshee, reminiscent sometimes of My Ruin's Tarrie B, and pushing the female voice into areas the most aggressive hardcore vocalists probably previously considered exclusively male. She confronts a drunken heckler, ordering to leave if he insists on loudly swearing at them because he doesn't like their style of music, and later invites him to come and face her when he continues. As she stands their making a "come on" gesture he looks pretty scared and stays where he is, quietening down. That doesn't stop her managing to soak him from head to toe with a well-thrown plastic glass of water near the end of the set, niftily managing to avoid everyone standing around him. McQueen are well worth seeing, but don't expect pop music just because they're women, and certainly don't try pissing them off... - Ruth Pearce.