Exoterik -- Omega Point

Raping the Reverie, something of an epic with a running time of over six minutes, opens this recording from a band that features Keighley's veteran drummer Steve Riley.

Anneka Latta's keyboards and vocals, along with the distorted guitar of Tom Fay, give a Gothic sound similar to the likes of Evanescence and My Immortal.

The pounding bass of Dave Parry and crystal clear production rounds everything off and it is clear why this band are beginning to cause something of a stir on the Leeds gig circuit.

Five songs of a very high standard, of which it is very hard to pick out the most outstanding, with Raping the Reverie and Psuedo Ego possibly representing the cherry atop of a delicious Gothic cake.

Graham Scaife

Placebo -- Meds

It seems an age since Placebo's last outing with the excellent Sleeping With Ghosts album and I was beginning to think they'd split up.

On the evidence of Meds the band still have plenty of life left in them and the break has seen them gather themselves up and return with their most complete and accomplished album to date.

Infra-red, Drag, the lyrically brilliant Follow the Cops Back Home and Broken Promise, which features a guest vocal from Michael Stipe, all represent a band on the very top of their game.

Only the rather sluggish Space Monkey and Pierrot the Clown show a slight dip in quality but when they are surrounded by such an abundance of gems then it's forgivable.

Graham Scaife

Cyndi Lauper -- The Body Acoustic

The girl who wanted to have fun strips down her back catalogue, adding new tracks and inviting some friends.

The result is more successful than Alanis Morissette's recent unplugged update of Jagged Little Pill.

While some songs, like Time After Time and True Colours, are little different, others like She Bop and All Through the Night are very effective.

Cyndi's voice can still startle, but it also has the range and quality to handle the close focus that comes with this intimate approach.

Classic songs and a distinctive voice -- enough to ensure a more emotional and satisfying collection than you get from many younger acoustic wannabes.

David Knights

Bruce Springsteen -- Hammersmith Odeon London 75

It was at this very gig that Bruce was pronounced to be the very future of rock 'n' roll.

Somewhat prematurely that turned out as he didn't really hit his stride for a while to come.

But you can listen to his early performance here and marvel at the accomplished interplay of the E Street Band and the fact that it could all too easily be Van Morrison, instead of Bruce, as the writer and vocalist.

There are versions of Born to Run and Thunder Road, but it's on the lesser known tracks such as Kitty's Back and The E Street Shuffle that you are taken back to that night over 30 years ago when a young skinny kid from New Jersey showed us what was to come. Exceptional.

Antony Silson