Beard Town

Even shorn of the street theatre, storytelling and occasional acrobatics of their stage shows, the Balkan-flavoured reckless abandon of the madcap fifth album from this high-octane West Country quintet lives up to their hard-won reputation for exhilarating, intense and eminently danceable live performances.

Recorded in real time at Real World studio, they wave their freak flag high from the outset, celebrating the pleasures of illicit substances and bad behaviour, while bemoaning the state of the world on the jokey title-track. But this is not simply frenetic fun for a boozy night out – though it's not at all bad at that. The arrangements throughout are as intricate as they are groove-heavy and there is no doubting their talent as musicians. Sometimes, however, the band's evident affection for freewheeling jazzy weirdness can lead to a few tracks that feel somewhat forced and overlong, certainly when divorced from a live context.