Venue: Mean Fiddler, London              Date: 13th September, 2002

This was a visit to a new, unfamiliar world... By the time you read this, 17-year-old Canadian "rock chick" Avril Lavigne may be one of the biggest pop stars in the UK. Her album 'Let Go' has already parked itself in the US charts for three months, with the single 'Complicated' a huge hit.

So what brought me to a packed Mean Fiddler to see Avril of all people?  Well, frankly, the album is one of the best I have heard all year. Wonderfully strong, polished pop/rock with no little depth and some of the best choruses you'll ever hear.  Think Michelle Branch with more Alanis Morisette angst and you'll be there.

So to the Mean Fiddler...  It was heaving, and the average age was about 16 - which at least made getting to the bar easy! Support band Whitmore played a 30-minute set of reasonable "nu metal", then Avril and her band hit the stage.

Avril is tiny, her stature not helped by huge sunglasses and her trademark school tie (an ironic nod to Britney, perhaps?). Her band - drums, bass and two guitars - were tight and enthusiastic, but by no means loud (I suppose teenage ears need protecting!), and she played most of her album efficiently and with genuine energy - though I suspect that the pretty-boy blond lead guitarist is not in the band for his playing ability.

Avril herself seemed comfortable live, though she left the song introductions to other members of the band, aside from the occasional "You guys are awesome."  The louder songs were most impressive, with 'Sk8er Boi' kicking the set off well, 'Unwanted' an angst-ridden metallic set-closer, and the excellent 'Losing Grip' also standing out - though they also had a decent stab at the aching ballad 'I'm With You'. Then, after fifty minutes - that was it. A brief encore and we made for the exits.

Frankly, though, 50 minutes was enough.  This was very much a "post punk" gig, with none of the classic rock embellishments we have become so used to, especially amongst certain bands who would still have been in their third song after 50 minutes.  Is she really the sort of "underground" artist that plays small London clubs like the Mean Fiddler or is this part of some much larger marketing strategy to give her credibility with a rock audience? Whichever the answer, the girl has genuine talent. I enjoyed the performance, and it was certainly an education.

Stephen Lambe