What happened to The Woodentops?

In 1986, they released their first studio album, Giant, and it was a belter: 12 tracks, no fillers, an original and joyous celebration of jingly-jangly guitar-based indie rock.

Here was an artfully constructed British album to stand alongside REM’s Lifes Rich Pageant, released that same year.

But before the ink had dried on a string of rapturous reviews, The Woodentops' front man Rolo McGinty disappeared up a Balearic wormhole called Hypnobeat, pushed out some forgettable thrash dance ‘dub’ tracks, and that was pretty much it for the next two decades.

Now The Woodentops are back on tour, dusting off their acoustic guitars and performing the entire Giant album in its original running order.

It was impossible not to smile at the opening chords of Get It On, and the uplifting Good Thing reminded us of McGinty’s brilliant song writing.

Giant really was as good as we remembered. Regretfully, the band’s vocal harmonies strayed painfully at times, McGinty’s upper register has largely disappeared, and they haven’t exactly bust a gut to recreate the lush orchestrations you hear on the album.

This is a somewhat stripped down Giant, so - sorry - no trumpets on the otherwise sublime Give It Time.

Three stars