Few bands could lay claim to capturing the sound of Manchester quite as comprehensively as The Rain Band on their self-titled first long player. Their music sounds like they have run through a checklist of components essential to sound like they are from the city: soaring melancholic vocals, raging guitars, heavy bass and epic rock numbers. So whilst they echo everyone from Puressence to the Happy Mondays to Oasis they tend to sound like an identikit group who never threaten to surpass their peers. Strange as it may sound, though, they come across as modern exponents for the area with a meaty, digitally enhanced sound that works to best effect on the snarling 'Easy Rider', the riff-heavy 'An Eye For An Eye' and the programmed beats of 'Ruins And Remains'. By using mood and grooves rather than obvious hooks The Rain Band do pass muster but whether this is enough to sustain longevity is another question entirely.