The keen-eyed regular Allgigs visitors amongst you might have spotted this band's name pop up in our reviews last year, once with the single 'Surrounded by White Men' (described by this writer as "... a low-down dirty dog of a track, equipped with a bass-line that's lower and grubbier than a badger's nut-sack") and the EP, summarised with "...Antlered Man haven't been tight when it comes to riffs and their brazen math-rock chops...". But that last release, 'Giftes 1', was unleashed around six months ago - so just what have they been up to since?

Quite a bit, it seems. As well as the usual stuttered live schedule you'd associate with a band finding its feet, they've issued the follow-up EP 'Giftes 2' and recently gathered both EPs together and called the subsequent album, you've guessed it, 'Giftes 1 and 2'. Their next album 'proper', is due out later in the year.

Interestingly, Antlered Man's previous handful of shows have all sold out, which says a lot for NOT charging ridiculous admission prices - most of their shows rarely require more than six of your finest British pounds. Oh and a support slot on Lower Than Atlantis' UK trip didn't hurt the pocket too much either. This year, the band have been pummelling young ears at a couple of key festivals, namely Camden Crawl and Brighton's Great Escape, as well as some European gigs. Let's face it - if you have a guitarist called Danny Fury, could you afford not to have them on your bill.

Musically swimming with current proto-rockers Pulled Apart By Horses, Exit Ten, The Xcerts etc and with a toe in the murky waters previously swum by 'prog-hardcore grungers' like Black Flag, early Screaming Trees, early Alice in Chains and perhaps most of the SST roster, Antlered Man don't sound like your average emo blockheads (or look like them). Judge for yourself in the autumn...

Antlered Man, We Are Knuckle Dragger and Romans will be performing a triple-bill UK tour called 'Villains and Vigilantes', from 26th September until 13th October, calling at Southampton (first show), Plymouth, Reading, Camden, Manchester plus others until Nottingham (last gig).

Tickets cost just £6 regionally and £7 for London - all on sale from Tuesday 22nd May at 9AM with the exception of London (Weds). You'll have the pleasure of having your brains mashed by THREE very capable bands. See them before they get too big to see.