Saint Etienne/Oasis: Birmingham Institute

IF OASIS DIDN'T exist, no one would want to invent them. For a start, they look and sound like they're long overdue product from a bankrupt Polymer Records Manc scally also-rans factory. Vaguely trippy guitar almost-tunes with vaguely late '60s rock tendencies, vaguely Ian Brown as Tim Burgess slob of a frontman, singing in a vaguely tuneless half-whine, vaguely shaking a tambourine, vaguely......er, yes, well, you get the picture.