On a night where '90s nostalgia hung in the air, the evening's warm-up came from Thirteen Senses. Formed in 2001, the Cornish band appear to have looked to their recent contemporaries for their inspiration. With a distinctive Brit pop/indie sound, they showed the spirit of the country in the mid-nineties has lived on. Standing in front of huge letters spelling out their name, shrouded in smoke as they spread across the stage, the band appeared to have the lack of humility that was so prominent in the indie age. Highly touted by the music press following the release of their debut album, The Invitation, it's hard to see where they’re going to fit into an already crowded pigeon hole. Despite bringing to mind certain Radiohead refrains - albeit with the bass turned up too high - and singing in a style akin to The Thrills, they bring little imagination to a stagnating genre. The fact they eventually showed themselves to be self-effacing may be their saving grace. Embrace's set Embrace followed with the real deal. It seems strange a band that created few ripples during their initial incarnation should have amassed such a cult status but the attendance figures can't lie. The swagger that went with the era hasn't been abandoned by Embrace. They came onto the stage with the belief that they were the best band in the world. The house lights dimmed, the introduction music started - bizarrely with a section from Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World - smoke oozed, silhouettes appeared through the haze and the crowd erupted. Embrace were back. Classic tracks The music sounded refreshingly original and served as a reminder that the Brit pop phenomenon had its plus points. The classic All You Good, Good People roused the crowd and Good Will Out remains a gem. The audience provided a stadium atmosphere, singing along and waving their arms. Embrace themselves just seemed happy to be there, their cocky air giving way to a genuine gratefulness to the crowd for listening to them. After proclaiming how glad the band were to be back, lead singer Danny McNamara summed it up in less than eloquent fashion. "I just feel like one lucky b******, I can tell you," he exclaimed. Standout moment The highlight was their rendition of Come Back To What You Know, which was a suitable vignette for the night. Embrace seem to have managed the impossible: re-igniting a flagging career by dragging the genre kicking and screaming to a new generation. Perhaps the fact that they were never one of the big names last decade has played into their hands. Whether or not they should have remained there, only time will tell. Embrace and Thirteen Senses performed at the UEA, Norwich, on Wednesday 17 November 2004. | 
