Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Across the Line sent a delegation of its finest, most professional staff to New York City to resist temptation and soberly report on the incredible influx of local talent to the Big Apple for one night only, and this is what they came up with...

Fifteen remarkable things about the Northern Ireland invasion of the Knitting Factory, NYC

Global swarming - we've got it. Duke Special takes a detour from Zurich and then Washington before heading back to France. Oppenheimer fly in from Philly. Mark from Skibunny is fresh off the plane a few hours before. A dozen acts from here, all congregating in Manhattan, specifically in the lobby of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, which is a makeshift Shaftesbury Square at chucking out time.

Within moments of the opening, Oppenheimer are trilling 'Breakfast In NYC'. How delighted do we feel? Like many of the acts tonight, they play a short set for the industry bods, then open it up later for the killer slot. They love the Oppenheimer thing here. Rocky and Sean are also pleased 'cause they saw the fire station for Ghostbusters earlier in the day.

The Knitting Factory, with the nicest staff we've met. The security team, the sound squad, the bar staff and all. We salute you and want to take you home.

The soap opera that was Alloy Mental. Ructions, dramas, incriminations. Martin Corrigan filling up with vitriol. And doing a supreme first gig. The poise, the contempt, the awesome beats. Later in the night they were merely petulant.

ATL TV with the cameras and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ NI screening a music doc Μύabout the story of Ulster rock downstairs, feeding into the fun. Μύ

Duke Special playing a ferocious and deeply sad version of 'This Could Be My Last Day'. His songs keep mutating and this one is growing into the strangest creation.

The whole event was oddly reminiscent of of of those old BelFEST events. The Tap Room downstairs even looks a bit like Auntie Annies' in Belfast. And weirdly, we meet very old pals like Dan Donnelly from Watercress, Susan Enan (now featuring on the Bones soundtrack) and Alan from Ghost Of An American Airman. All doing rather nicely here. Heat The Beans will probably be here in a minute.

Ben Glover following a winsome trail into the heartland of America. Country airs and urban soul. Big with industry folk and punters alike.

Foy Vance is lovely and lyrical, and cranks out 'Crosstown Traffic', because he wants to. His cover of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun goes wonky though.

Regards to the NIMIC firm for making this happen, with special regards to the intense calm of Sandra Gourley.

Cashier No.9 with slicker beats and even more staggering, nonchalant talent. Another hit with the New Yorkers.

A scree of noise and white armbands from In Case Of Fire.

Gary Lightbody turns up as a punter after playing Madison Square Garden, as you do, checks out his mate Iain Archer's set and leaves smiling.

Team spirit. Loads of shared moments and sentimental bondings. New pals and the giddy belief that our old, provincial scene now has a cool, international aspect.

Lafaro/Oppenheimer tales of on-the-road carnage including a certain mister Oppenheimer's late night/early morning scrape with the cops after libertaing some fireworks on a beach, resulting in the enforced cleaning of said beach, including dog poop and all manner of evil.

Lafaro playing possibly the finest set of all, to around 8 punters at almost 2.30am after pretty much everyone had left. They still maintained the scorched earth policy, intense riffs and natural poise don't just fall of the trees y'all