LADIES and Gentlemen, we are floating in Stonebow.

Fibbers may not have seen the dark depths of space last night, but Spiritualized's mind-bendingly awesome charity gig felt like a two-hour trip to Planet Psychedelic.

Sandwiched between teen heartthrobs Blazin' Squad and coffee table king Badly Drawn Boy in York's War Child/Shelter spectacular, acid-fried cowboy Jason Pierce sent the man with the funny hat and the boys with the set of tat scurrying for cover amid a wave of blissful melodies and furiously intense improvisation.

The thinking man's Richard Ashcroft has always dabbled at music's polar extremes - the driving force in Spaceboy 3 through to a miss-mash of acclaimed Spiritualized line-ups.

Rugby's finest export since William Webb Ellis last night veered impeccably between soul-searching gospel of Walking With Jesus, through to the raw, brutal aggression of Iggy Pop and MC5, typified in the bruising opener, Electricity. Blending such disparate genres requires the delicate touch of a creative mastermind. And Pierce - who never uttered a word in the 120-minute performance and, in true, tortured recluse mode, perched himself almost out of sight to the far left of the stage - didn't disappoint.

After playing an extra early evening "soundcheck" show, added at the 11th hour, the band were flying from the start.

Tracks from a raft of towering, beautifully-crafted LPs bounced majestically off that famous low Fibbers ceiling.

Wailing guitars and a dazzling flurry of lights bombarded fans before calming lulls intervened to slow proceedings right down to what you would imagine is Pierce's more natural rhythm.

All that came before the undeniable highlight: a heart-rending harmonica-led trawl through Broken Heart, the exquisitely mournful centrepiece of Ladies And Gentlemen...

Jason Pierce appears to have found God, and this song's balsa wood fragility resonated through the soul like an Old Testament prophet reciting Wordsworth.

Concluding with a dazzling display of mind-altering optics and an instrumental garage rock workout only matched in ear-shredding intensity by standing next to a jet plane engine, Spiritualized's grandiose sound made a mighty impression on little Fibbers.

Updated: 09:19 Thursday, March 04, 2004