What a cult

IT'S sort of roundabout but we'll get there in the end: in the U.S. Elastica sell four times as many records as Blur, whereas in Britain Blur outsell them six to one. Which is strange. Part of the reason is that Elastica are signed to Geffen, who work their acts very well in the US - they even, managed to turn The Stone Roses' Second Coming into a Billboard "hit".

Because of their high profile in the US, Elastica were asked to collaborate with Pavement on some film soundtrack thing. Justine Elastica then introduced them to Damon from Blur and what happened next was very surprising, as Pavement's Bob Nastanovich told us this week: "Damon told us that he was a huge fan of our music, and he was going to try and use the sound we get on Blur's new album - we were pretty shocked because Blur were always the definitive `Britpop' band, some say they started the whole thing off, and we always thought he detested contemporary American music, especially the sort of slacker, lo-fi stuff we do."

As evinced by Blur's new single, Beetlebum (arguably their best song to date), the Britpoppers have finally recognised the rich undercurrents in American "alterno-rock" and they don't come much richer than Pavement. Formed by a bunch of college dropouts (how slacker can you get?) in 1989, they managed to throw off their early Swell Maps and The Fall influences and emerge as a hugely influential band. Albums like Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) and Woweee Zowee (1995) set the lo-fi agenda and when Seattle went all funny and threatened, to take over the global charts, Pavement were just a bit too cool to follow in Nirvana's slipstream and make the transition" from culty indie rockers to MTV-friendly stadium rockers.

Why? "We sell about as many records as we want to," says Bob. "We sell enough to keep going and be able to do more albums, but not enough that we have become part of the mainstream. Overall, we're seen as being a bit bigger than a cult - but not by much."

The new album, called Brighten The Corners, is out next month but you can go along and see/hear for yourselves when Pavement kick off their European tour in Dublin tomorrow night at the Mean Fiddler at 8 p.m. Support on the night comes from the Mexican Pets who have a great new single out, called Supermarket, so try and get there on time.

WHEN a band have just been signed to Creation (home of Teenage Fanclub, Oasis, Primal Scream etc) you sit up and pay attention. When said band have got Sean O'Hagan from The High LLamas to produce their EP, you devote a large part of your time to them.

Welcome please, The Diggers: The Glasgow four-piece first met when they discovered they all had a common interest in the combined works of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Aztec Camera, Crowded House and Gilbert O'Sullivan (astute readers will know that the common link there is Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze, who does covers of all four above acts in his solo unplugged outings).

"Folk listen to us and think we're beard-stroking musos with pipes, when in actual fact we're teen Gods who ride naked in lifts and laugh in the face of danger," says John (guitars and vocals) from the band. When Alan McGee signed them up, they knew what they were going to do with their advance. "We were very careful with the money from the advance," says Alan (vocals and bass). "We blew it quickly on drink and good times. If you won the Lottery, you wouldn't spend it on amps, now would you?"

The EP, featuring O.K. Alright, On The Line and Holiday Inn is a most wonderful mix of Herman's Hermits jamming with Teenage Fanclub with The High LLamas (naturally) hanging around the studio somewhere. Check `em out.

LOADS and loads and loads of free tickets: we've 10 pairs for Iris De Ment at the Olympia on the 26th of this month, 10 pairs for Emmylou Harris on February 2nd, 10 pairs for the Boo Radleys on February 7th and 10 pairs for "Ocean Colour Scene on February 15th (all gigs at the Olympia). To get your hands on a pair, just write in (before Tuesday January 22nd) to Hot Licks Offers, Arts Department, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 stating on the outer envelope which act you want to go and see, and enclosing a self- addressed envelope.