In the slick image-obsessed music world, The Coral represent a breath of fresh air.

These are dedicated musicians not driven by the accumulation of anything other than appreciation for total mastery of their craft.

Their single-minded resolve to put on a dazzling performance was evidenced by the lack of chat in between songs. A few muffled thank yous and that was it -and, frankly, nothing else was needed.

If you bought the band's second album, Magic And Medicine, and rate The Coral, think again. You need to see them live before you realise how good they are.

This was an hour-long feast of beautiful pop songs produced by young men who are possibly one record away from being huge.

Hopping from one instrument to the other, The Coral's songs, which give a cursory nod to The Doors, always set a scene and tell a story.

The show mostly featured tracks from Magic And Medicine, including two candidates for the Single Of The Year honour: Pass It On, which charted at number four and the delightful Don't Think You're The First.

Songs of love and death, including Bill McKai and the wonderful but contemplative laments of Liezah, went down well with a mainly youthful audience.

More imaginative than most British guitar bands, The Coral, founded by Scouse school mates James and Ian Skelly, Bill Ryder-Jones, Nick Power and Lee Southall, have the ability to make you happy, sad, confident or crushed.

From their first album, entitled The Coral, I Remember When, Simon Diamond and the awesome Waiting For The Heartaches raised the roof.

The melodious howls and bitter-sweet ruminations of the majestic James Skelly must make him one of the best young singers in the UK today.

If The Coral don't emerge as the biggest guitar band and make a killer third album within the next 12 months, it will be a travesty their fans will find hard to take.