THEY like to play the social misfits. Which is always a good starting point for any renegade rock band.

And just in case you don't get the picture, Detroit desperados Electric Six send out press releases in which they liken themselves to wild west outlaws who've spent a quarter of a century on Mars.

They hammer the point home by playing a frenetic mix of punk, new wave, disco and arena rock which sticks two fingers up at the trend for nihilistic minimalism by daring to include not only keyboards but synthesizers, too.

Check 'em out at the Old Fire Station on Wednesday, March 2. But be warned. The band, who used to be called The Wildbunch, are said to transmit "supraliminal messages" and boast a frontman whose image is seriously unhinged.

Vocalist Dick Valentine, they say, "appears to be socially underdeveloped" but has an IQ that is off the top of the scale. He also "bears some symptoms of schizophrenia". One would sincerely hope that this isn't a question of using mental illness as a gimmick. But you'll have to judge for yourselves. Electric Six are touring to promote their new single.

For tickets for their show at The Old Fire Station in Bournemouth on Wednesday, March 2, where support will be Cherry Hinton and Slimmy, call 01202 297442 or 01202 553072.