It wasn't all that long ago when Ash were the new teens on the block, making their first faltering steps towards a sound of their own. Last night, at the SFX, it was the turn of the embryonic Chicks to play apprentice, and as the three-piece girl group stumbled into the light they balanced precariously between charming ineptitude and hormone-fuelled power.

The teenage riot grrrl threesome have been feted by such heavyweight broadcasters as Steve Lamacq and their debut EP - Criminales, Coches, Pistolas Y Chicas - certainly wraps the shallow concerns of youth into a neat little pop bubble. Live, Chicks manage to muddle their way through gabba-hey tunes such as Rocca Rocca, Feminist, Jewels, Black Boy and You Wanna Be Me, but, with a combination of smart songs and the Ronnie Spector-like voice of Isobel Reyes, it may not be long before things become crystalclear for Chicks.

Ash may have evolved into a killer tune machine through two superb albums, 1977 and Nu-Clear Sounds, but last night they played it fast and loose, sacrificing precision for raw energy and letting the rock monster come roaring out of the cage. Well, it was the SFX, the hallowed hall of heavy metal, so Projects, Jesus Says and Death Trip screamed loud 'n' proud while the crowd pogoed happily along.

Tim Wheeler's musclebound licks, however, couldn't hide the sugary sentiment of Oh Yeah, Goldfinger and Aphrodite. Mark Hamilton lumbered over his bass like a woodsman wrestling a bear to the ground, while recent recruit Charlotte Hatherley stalked the stage like a bird of prey, looking for the gaps in the sound and filling them in with solid, steady riffs. Low Ebb and Wild Surf floated on some buoyant songwriting ideas, but Innocent Smile swept the unwary listener under a deafening wash of white noise.