The Horrors are either the most exciting live band in Britain, or a bunch of chancers without a tune. Bizarrely, by the end of their set, the answer was still unclear.

Formed in Southend last year, the quintet just out of their teens bagged an NME front cover before releasing a record, typically a sign of style over substance. Since then, two scuzzy, garage-punk singles, concerts that have collapsed in chaos after only ten minutes and the habit of the frontman Farris Badwan of throwing black paint over fans have convinced kids that these are their own Sex Pistols.

The Horrors were great fun to watch. In a comedy waistcoat and big black, birds’ nest hair, Badwan howled, mumbled or yelled incomprehensively, rolled around on the ground and paced the stage. At the heart of a sound that borrows from the Cramps, the Stooges and death metal was the organist Spider Webb, whose sound evoked a fairground ride on super-speed.

Were there any tunes, though? Well, the former single Sheena is a Parasite almost had one, but that wasn’t the point. The Horrors are a band who play as if they’re at their first rehearsal, all energy, excitement and amps turned up to 10. Parents will detest them, which is what matters most when you’re 14.

The Fratellis are another act who formed only last year but sailed straight in at No 2 with their debut album, Costello Music. The Glaswegian trio have a bouncy sound that it was impossible not to dance to.

They are musical magpies who mix everything from Seventies rock, Sixties beat bands and ska to Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, and their young Bob Dylan-lookalike singer favours a Cockney accent. Catchy, three-minute tracks with singalong lyrics, a stomping swagger and melodies that are always instantly familiar were fun for the first 20 minutes, then suddenly seemed terribly uncool. Put on Costello Music at a party and you’ll have everyone up on their feet. In the cold light of day, however, you may want to hide the album at the back of your collection.