Audiovisual jazz funk hip-hop hybrid Fingathing return to Manchester this evening for a homecoming show of moderate attendance. This time around the Fat City signed trio are supporting old school favourites and Richard Whitely haters Hexstatic, introducing long term vinyl junkies to their individual mix of electric jazz-influenced basslines and b-boy styled beats and tunes.

Unlike other DJ influenced groups Graphic Artist Chris Drury redefines predictable background stage images, creating a live mix of nightmarish animated cartoons and on-stage action, beamed direct from cameras attached to bass and decks. Sneaky skilfully plucks and draws his supersonic bass machine (why do all electrified classical instruments get redesigned as escape pods from a Buck Rodger’s episode?), exposing an education in jazz and performance, whilst Peter Parker (possibly not original name) tweaks various boxes and decks to create pumping beats and a vast collection of cut and paste sounds. Whereas many bands can perform satisfactorily as a unit, but fall apart when asked to play individually, both Sneaky and Parker demonstrate a depth of knowledge of their respective instruments and provide us with songs of simply bass or only scratching. It would be hard to find many other bands that would even consider letting the bassist take over the stage. But here’s the difference, Fingathing are good enough to do this.

In an environment where talent is increasingly undervalued whilst personality and celebrity are recklessly commended it would be nice to see Fingathing attracting the attention they deserve. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that these two softly spoken front men will be hitting the headlines in Smash Hits anytime soon.