Rough Trade's recent Post Punk compilation featured 1970s radicals such as Public Image Limited and The Pop Group alongside a handful of contemporary acts - including the Futureheads. But it was often hard to tell 1979 and 2003 apart. New wave, where punk, reggae, soul and pop were welded into new forms, had become a breeding ground for pastiche.

Certainly, Edinburgh's gig-goers haven't flocked to this concert, perhaps preferring the original to the reproduction: David Byrne and Marky Ramone are both playing elsewhere in town. The 40 or so who are here tonight, though, are witness to something special. Since forming in 2000, the four-piece have been busy, releasing a succession of staccato singles, signing to 679 records (the home of the Streets) and getting ex-Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill to produce their forthcoming debut album. Live, their urgency is palpable. They move in militantly funky jerks and spasms, a tight mess of bent knees, bastard harmonies and angular guitar work. It's not long before vocalist Barry Hyde's buttoned-up shirt is drenched in sweat. A few songs later and guitarist Ross Millard attempts an introduction, getting as far as "We're going to play you a -" before his voice is drowned out by a squall of guitar. It's referential, of course: you can hear XTC in the vocals, Wire in the stop/start dynamic and the Gang of Four in the ferociously compact song structure.

Tonight's best tracks - Robots and First Day - sound like 50 years of rock'n'roll compressed in a vice, its edges unblunted, its passion undimmed. They deserve to go a long, long way.

· At Leeds Cockpit (0113-245 5570) tonight, then touring.