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No Mean City kick off proceedings tonight; they're a pleasant surprise as they're actually pretty awesome. The focal point of the band is without a doubt their striking front-lady, Jilly, who not only looks good up there in her tiny shorts, but has a great voice and throws some mean shapes too. ÌýShe's like our own homegrown Karen O with a bit of Peaches sex-appeal, and attitude thrown in - she's not afraid to put a heckling punk firmly in his place, mid-set. ÌýThe Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an obvious reference musically too, but No Mean City are a heavier beast, more straight-up rock, grunge guitars and big riffs. ÌýSet highlights include 'TigerKissRose' with it's catchy refrain and 'Gettin' Off', which is a bit pervy (but in a good way). They're still a little rough around the edges in terms of full-band performance, it's more like a solo act with a backing band at the minute, Jilly's rock star swagger makes the other guys look timid in comparison but there's bags of potential here for No Mean City to add a bit of polish and truly sparkle.

After all that rock, it seems appropriate that we have some post-rock (!), and here's The Cities We Captured to deliver it. ÌýThey've got more pedals than you could shake a stick at. ÌýYou'd need several sticks. ÌýNot sure why you'd want to do that. The lighting effects in the Speakeasy tonight really add an extra dimension, helping to create the perfect atmosphere for this type of set - when the music tries to deafen you, the lights try to blind you. ÌýIt sounds a bit painful actually but it's not, it's great. ÌýThere's a hint of magic in the air, the atmosphere is tense and the waves of music are enveloping. ÌýAt least for a bit anyway, then things start to all sound a bit the same. ÌýThe influences on display are obvious: think Pelican or Russian Circles but I'd wager that if it weren't for Tracer AMC and more recently, ASIWYFA, bands like The Cities We Captured might not have been so quite to pop up on the local scene. ÌýUndeniably tight and technically proficient, there's some great ideas in here but some of the songs go on a bit and they haven't managed to replicate that intangible, emotional investment that Tracer AMC or ASIWYFA have honed to perfection. ÌýAnd so I watched the rest of their set from the bar.

Through a haze of cider, Pocket Billiards are headlining tonight's extravaganza. Pocket Billiards deliver ska-punk in their own unique style, they may appeal to fans of Less Than Jake or The Mighty Mighty Bosstones but they don't try to imitate them; they do things their own way, there's no Americanisms or faux accents here - these are songs about their own lives ('Don't Scratch My Sofa' is about their love of comedy classic, Desmond's) and about Belfast (such as set highlight 'SPIDE'), sung in a Belfast accent, they're passionate about what they're doing but they don't take themselves too seriously either - they're here to have fun. ÌýYou don't need to be a ska or punk fan to enjoy Pocket Billiards. You just need to like having fun. And everyone likes having fun, don't they? ÌýSo check them out, they're one of Belfast's finest and it'd be a shame to let the punks hog all the fun.
Michael Wilson