Armoury Show/Eyeless In Gaza/Virginia Astley: The Venue, London

RICHARD JOBSON had expected a handful to turn up tonight and thus was pleasantly surprised by a near – capacity crowd who were so indulgent, so eager to be pleased, that you might imagine this was 1973 not '83. Such was the enthusiastic reception accorded to the uninspired, self-indulgent musos who comprised tonight's two main acts that I'm driven to conclude that punk's sole lasting achievement was to reintroduce short hair and straight-legged trousers as standard items of male chic.