America has long bestowed huge success on unlikely British groups who barely make it in their homeland: A Flock of Seagulls, the completely unmemorable Fixx and, more recently, Spacehog. The latest "homegrown unknowns" to do wonders for the trade gap are dance-ish trio Dirty Vegas. Boosted by the appearance of their ethereal Days Go By in a Mitsubishi car ad, their eponymous album hit the US top 10 last year. They polished off their success last month by picking up a Grammy.
In the UK, though, things are still fairly underground, the gulf in status emphasised by the appearance, soundwise, of two Dirty Vegases. One is the languid, sleek machine of their American-tailored tunes: soft rock with a clubby beat. The other is an uptempo, groove monster that appeals, as singer Steve Smith cheekily admits, "to people who still go to clubs". In fact, Smith virtually apologises for their slower, freeway-oriented tunes. "We have to do those otherwise it ends up a marathon on-stage," he pleads, lifting up an impressively sweaty armpit.
Recent clubland attendance figures suggest that not many of us are still going to clubs, which suggests that Dirty Vegas's plot for British stardom may have a fundamental flaw. More alarmingly, their music seems rooted in the dance-rock of the early 1990s.
Then again, the hands in the air for anything resembling a big beat suggests dance-rock fusion may have more mileage after all, or perhaps there's just a clamouring for anything resembling the Stone Roses.
Guitarist Ben Harris owes much to John Squire, but, while their big grooves may lack much content, they are difficult to resist. However, there are suggestions of hidden depths and more interesting things to come. Smith's cheeky chappy persona contrasts with his eerie, emotional vocals. This man clearly enjoys the irony of singing songs about the emptiness of the party lifestyle to an audience rooted in the party lifestyle.
As for now, Dirty Vegas are probably too stunned by their US success to have an entirely clear handle on anything. "We're having so much fun," confesses Smith - a description that could apply to their concert as well as their career.
· At the Arches, Glasgow (0141-565 1000), tonight, then touring.
