FARRELL. Navarro. Perkins. Three-quarters of the original Jane's Addiction line-up that spontaneously combusted in a drug-fuelled mess 13 years ago.

Born screaming into a staid LA rock scene in the late 1980s, it's no surprise Jane's Addiction caught the ear - Perry Farrell's shriek matched by the crashing, edgy guitars of soon-to-be-Chili Pepper Dave Navarro. Original bassist Eric Avery may not have made this reunion but, crucially, the manic intensity of the original Addiction is still here. New single Just Because is too straightforward for Jane's Addiction; The Riches and Superhero are closer in spirit to 1990's Ritual De Lo Habitual and classics such as Been Caught Stealin'. Farrell is at his spiky best on Suffersome, hopscotching his way from note to note seemingly at random but somehow fitting in all the same. Thirteen years is a long time to wait but thankfully Jane's Addiction are still the real deal.

Updated: 10:24 Thursday, August 07, 2003