Tiscali Showcase - Ludes

"Our first really big gig was in front of fifteen thousand bikers' rasps Ludes disarmingly cheekboned guitarist Matt Allchin from deep within a sofa in a West End drinking den. "It was at The Bulldog Bash. The only snag was, we didn't have a rhythm section. Me and James were both working in this pub in Denmark Hill at the time and we'd be on the phone all day desperately trying to find a bassist and a drummer who could play it. Then we did one warm up at the Amersham Arms, and next thing, I'm walking onstage in front of all these Hells Angels wearing a Stones t-shirt. They seemed to like us though..." Such is the way of Ludes. Despite their relatively short tenure within rock'n'roll circles -to date just one rambunctious single 'She Was Just A Girl'/ 'Your Dog Don't Bark' on Double Dragon Music - they exude the elegantly wasted air of seasoned professionals. Already veterans of tours with Electric Six ("every night was like something out oif 'Casualty') Franz Ferdinand ("cool") and the recent fifteen date New World Disorder blitz ("a rollercoaster"), they are clearly only a connecting train from stardom. Wherever they assemble, something bizarre happens, prompted by both their other-worldly looks -think The Faces crossed with 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' period Blur- and a savvy London wit inflected with the spirit of everyone from Harold Pinter to Ian Dury.

Lean in a little closer, however, and you discover that Ludes' lyrics are something else altogether: a cornucopia of strangeness filled with everything from manic depressives to ghostly actors treading the boards of Victorian music halls. Not to mention the chilling mood of 'Walking the Black Dog': 'I'm the toaster in your bathtub/ Burning your blues away/I left the gas on in the kitchen." Well, you get the picture.

'Luckiest Theatre' is about the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Me and Matt were watching this programme about it one night and we started writing down all the facts about the ghosts there.There was this one character who got his eye poked out, and it still rolls around there late at night..."

With Ludes, these tales of the city always come with a slightly surreal edge. "We just love doing this" smiles Dave, as the sunlight fades and another evening on the tiles looms with Matt and James. "It's not just what we do. It's our lives."

And with that, they're off into the night. Be prepared. From within Ludes eclectic London rumble, exotic blooms will flower.