You had to be registered with some fairly opaque fan sites to get into this one. The Coral finished off their UK tour with a secret gig in the smallest room at the Academy - a bit like a little club show, the size of which I doubt they have played in the years since they were a Beatles tribute band in the Cavern. It's apparently a thankyou to everyone that has supported them so far, and a curtainraiser for the new album (Monday) and a dry run for their festival season.

Pretty much anybody who used
to be somebody was there.

Pretty much anybody who used to be somebody was there - “its OK - the Zutons have landed" I heard someone cry, and I was more than happy to let the mighty Pete Whylie get served before me at the bar. This being broadcast live on RadioCity it was a fairly early show, and as tight as it could be.

The beauty and genius of the Coral is that they write perfect 3 minute pop songs - the kind of simple little melodies that schedules love - “Pass it on", “in The Morning" and “Bill Maccai" and pure gold in a world where radio is wall to wall pap. But thankfully there is always a darker side. I wonder if all the little girls on TOTP waving their arms to Bill Maccai really understand its about personal failure and suicide?

The new stuff from next week's bound-to-be-number-1 album sounded very good, and quite intriguing with a few heavier, meatier numbers that seemed to pull towards the Stooges and the Zombies. The older tracks like Simon Diamond that I haven't heard for a while sounded fresh and exciting again. Seeing that the new Album is produced by the team behind Portishead, I was worried we might be off on a weird dub trip. But no, they almost seem to have gone back to a lighter, more basic folksy simplicity.

I wonder if all the little girls on
TOTP waving their arms to Bill
Maccai really understand it's about
personal failure and suicide?

I’ve seen the Coral about half a dozen times over the last few years, usually in big venues like The Brighton Dome and The Liverpool Royal Court - this is the first time in a small club environment and, as a measure of how packed the place was, I’ve never been so far from the front of the stage.

Apparently The Coral are worried that as they get more successful they might turn into a sub Coldplay coffee-table band. On tonight’s evidence, I think not.

You can find out more at www.thecoral.co.uk - or on their parent site www.deltasoni.co.uk where the rest of their stablemates, The Dead 60’s - The Little Flames and The Zutons also live.