I have to admit it, I was genuinely excited about seeing Space tonight at The Haunt. I last saw them back in 1996 at Manchester University, just after their hit ‘Female of the Species’ had been released. I was a big fan of the song as soon as I heard it, and I was very happy they played it as the very first song in their set. And then again as the closer. My friend and I were on the front row shouting “Space are ace! Space are ace!”, and I remember Tommy Space saying back, “So are you ‘la!”. Ahh to be back in 1996 again. Well tonight we are, sort of.

I had heard that they were back and had a new album called Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab, and I smiled to myself thinking, “They haven’t changed, have they!” Space have a penchant for writing catchy songs that do not take themselves seriously in the least, with surreal themes and crafty storytelling lyrics, polished off with huge dollup of Scouse charm that can’t be imitated.

Anyway, first up were Fragile Creatures, veterans of the Brighton scene, and very comfortable on stage tonight. A perfect warm up to Space, their songs also cover a range of styles, and one reggae-inspired number ‘The Chemicals’, has a Liverpudlian groove I could imagine Tommy himself cooking up. Most of the songs are from their new album …And Other Wild Things. They are sounding bright and infectious tonight, and are accompanied by rock star wrigglings and writhings onstage from front man Adam Kidd. New song ‘Monster’ was particularly strong, seeing Kidd push his upper range a little harder. Perhaps their next album will be less fragile creatures and more fraggle ROCK!

Fragile Creatures are off and the lights are dimming. A slightly pixelated blown up version of Space’s logo appears on the projector screen. I am glad they haven’t modernised it. Tommy runs out, with a black cowboy hat on and a beaming smile.

Doing the maths he must be getting on a bit by now but you’d be hard pushed to notice as Tommy leaps around jubilantly, gesturing his guitar to the audience. ‘Mister Psycho’ is the first track off Spiders to be played, and I find myself fist pumping the air in nostalgic exuberance, “Mister Psycho he’ll bloow you away”.

It’s a carefully crafted set, mixing new and old. Speaking to them after the show, Space revealed they are already recording the follow up to Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab. The new songs have the trademark Space twisted themes, one questions why sharks can’t be nicer, and another chronicles the disturbing story of the time Tommy Space discovered half a blow up doll in a forest. Not sure what was going on there.

Another amusing moment sees Cerys Matthews face appear on the projector screen, just in time to sing a duet on ‘The Ballad of Tom Jones’. Two more singles ‘Avenging Angels’ and, of course, ‘Female of the Species’ are met with delight.

There’s a slightly irritating woman stood in front of me trying to block us from dancing too much, but when ‘Neighbourhood’ kicks in late into the set there’s no stopping us, and we all move forwards. I am back at the front again, singing along to every word. They are off and then back again for a two song encore, finishing the night with ‘Me and You Against the World’. I find myself chanting, ‘Space are ace! Space are ace!’. Let’s do this again Space, in another 20 years perhaps. Why not, I can imagine Tommy will still be bouncing about then with similar energy!!

Guest writer Adam Bell (one of the minds behind the Sandstorm – Britpop Night and a member of local pop group Octopuses)