Tiscali Showcase - Louie

15 May Edinburgh Venue
16 May Glasgow Nice and Sleazys
17 May Newcastle University
18 May Birmingham Barfly
20 May Nottingham Social
21 May Manchester Academy 3
22 May Bristol Fleece and Firkin
24 May London 100 Club
26 May PeterboroughMet Lounge
27 May Brighton Pressure Point
28 May Oxford Zodiac

Louie's debut single Trees/One Big Repeat was released in November last year and quickly gathered plaudits in its wake: "like The Strokes being shocked from their slack-jawed nonchalance by way of six lines of crushed-up Ritalin and a quick bout of jabbing their fingers into a plug socket - a methamphetamine-snorting road movie crammed into 140 mouth-frothing seconds" (NME - Runner-up Single Of The Week); "a brilliant spurt of Buzzcocksian speed-punk" (Rocksound); "a rush of New York Dolls/Heartbreakers trashiness and '77 punk energy" (Kerrang); and "a chorus to punch through walls to, an urgency that makes you want to get the resuscitation paddles out and perfection wrapped up in a 2 minute something package" (Disorder - single of the year).

Everyone sang its la la la refrain and everyone identified with its staring out of my window digressions and, not surprisingly, everyone who could, bought it.

Subsequently, it sold out in double quick time. Louie's second single Curves And The Bends received similar critical acclaim and gained another NME Runner Up Single Of The Week plaudit.

LOUIE could just as easily be named after one of the most seminal rock 'n' roll songs ever to have been written as they could be after another word for a pimp.

Either way, when you have heard them or witnessed one of their shows, you will know that it matters not: Louie, as simply au fait with rock 'n' roll iconography as they might be, have just as simply got it.

Louie feature two nineteen year old singers called Jordan Smith and Gaz Tomlinson from Cumbria and York respectively plus lead guitarist Russell Ditchfield and rhythm guitarist Luke Morris.

Their intensely cool line-up is completed by Andy Twigden on bass and Mikey Parrish on drums. Formed in 2004 and now based in London after meeting and recently dropping out of college, Louie have already caused a huge fuss in the British music scene and been likened to the New York Dolls by Kerrang, the Libertines by the NME, and the Heartbreakers (Johnny's, not Tom's, presumably) by the pair of them. Half the battle, of course - apart from the songs - is the obvious chemistry created when co-singers Jordan and Gaz collide on stage or collude in a studio.

It's been said before that they possess the cuteness of the Olsen twin sisters (thank you NME) and couple this with a brassy whirlwind of seminal bedroom poses and We Don't Give A F**k mentality and you can see what all the fuss is about.

• More on Bell X 1, who headlined the twenty-first Tiscali Showcase on Friday June 9th 2006
• More on Cord, who opened the twenty-first Tiscali Showcase on Friday June 9th 2006