Artist: Aura.

Venue: Gasworks Club, Bradford.

Date: January 29 2009.

Review by: Adam Sewell.

ALWAYS up for trying something new, I braved the cold to go and see new band Aura.

I didn't know much about the band but at least I knew what to expect from the venue. A no frills, unpretentious basement club in in the unglamorous backstreets may not be desirable to many of the squeaky clean youngsters passing themselves off as rock n roll fans.

But this place has an ambiance, history and the wonderful spit and sawdust feeling of a secretly very good venue.

So to the band. Manchester four-piece Aura had enough instruments on stage for Arcade Fire and the Polyphonic Spree to join forces.

But this is not where they draw their influence. I was informed that their style was gritty rock with anthemic elements of Muse. For for elements, read obsession.

As the 11-song set rolled on, I felt Aura were trapped in a parallel dimension between mainstream indie and true rock n roll. They may turn up to both parties but I fear they’ll get turned away at the doors. Their answer to this problem is to take the path set out by the only band that have conquered such a chasm - Muse.

But while Muse have managed to cater for the secret rock cravings of NME disciples, while satisfying metal fans' appetite for anger, their achievement is a one-off, nigh on impossible to replicate.

Which is why the Aura boys - and everyone else - should leave this path alone.

Many of Aura's own songs were so gripped by the Muse-by-numbers framework that there was no energy from the stage. Don’t get me wrong, they had musical ability. But it seemed the band were reigning themselves in, so as to toe the Muse party line.

Aura are still a young band, but certainly they know how to handle their instruments. Piano interludes, guitar solos and clever wandering bass lines give them the foundations of something promising.

But these foundations need to be built more sturdily upon and I hope this will come with time and a bit of direction.

I’d give these guys a second chance because, when a few of their tracks broke free from the Muse shackles, there was passion, enthusiasm and enjoyment on stage.

When hurtling through these songs, Aura all seemed remember what live music is about. Strong guitar parts, booming drums and echoing vocal harmonies proved that there is a future for this band. Throw in the quirky, but very welcome, covers of ‘Laid’ by James and ‘A little Respect’ and it was clear Aura had found their territory.

Aura can have something good. They are talented musicians and can structure songs to a very high standard. If they stick to the heavier rocky tracks and throw in some lighter crowd pleasers, they have a chance at gathering a sizeable following. Their likeable style and enthusiasm will I'm sure become infectious amongst their fans.

My advice to achieve the success they are capable of is simple. Take your own roads, don’t follow someone else’s.

For more on the band, check out www.myspace.com/aurabanduk