POP MUSIC REVIEWS : A Few Fine Moments Keep Wheel Aligned

Sometimes rock bands are so well-polished--in appearance, in sound quality, in showmanship--that it’s easy to forget what’s underneath.

That was the case with Catherine Wheel’s concert on Saturday at the Hollywood Grand. The English quartet was as suave as could be, sporting a male-model image and a rock-star pomp that screamed, “Hey, we’re from England.” What’s more, the band’s frequent stab at a Bauhaus-meets-Nirvana sound--gothic grunge, if you will--often seemed as manufactured as the plastic discs it’s supposed to sell.

It all culminated in an exhausting, indulgent finale that had them extending four-minute pop songs into lengthy guitar jams that wouldn’t have been so bland if the group actually had some guitar-playing talent.

But underneath all the show, Catherine Wheel did have something to offer. Singer Rob Dickinson demonstrated his ability to sing a sweet pop melody on the less intense songs “Heal” and “Judy Staring at the Sun,” while the band itself showed finesse when it kept things simple, as it did on a handful of Who-like rock songs. These fine moments shouldn’t have been so hard to come by, though.