I swear I saw at least two Joy Collective writers in this crowd, a whole solitary ONE DAY has passed and no review. So here’s mine:

Local fresh-faced sad-hearted trumpetting indiepop band – this could only be a Loose night! – Silver Gospel Runners kick off proceedings. They have sullen boy/pretty girl singers and the ubiquitous Small Blue Glockenspiel and for reasons I can’t quite work out I am having a minor epiphany (maybe partly down to the fact that I am clear of mind on a strictly enforced 3 pint rule, and recollection that I went to an England U21 game with sullen boy stage left, is it even possible to write a review without talking about your boring life?!). The sound is bright and sparkly and their tunes are tight. I think it’s really easy to do this type of music badly, which makes it all the better to see it done well.

Next up are Beligian slow-pop duo Soy Un Caballo (I’m A Horse or I AM HORSE?, i can’t remember, prefer the latter) – they play gentle, playful, sleepy songs in French and raise the glockenspiel game with their unbelievably large number, MAXI GLOCK somehow also emits a lounge paced bossa beat and life sounds so much better in French. They make me want to can the 3 pint rule and get a mini red wine but I stay strong.

I’m normally a big fan of the 1 bad band in a 4 band bill rule – guilt free smoke, trip to the bar, a little sit down, check of the scores – Hari & Aino don’t disappoint. They are fairly non descript, except maybe to say INDIE POP GONE BAD. If nothing else they have a synthesised steel drum ode to Norway which still rouses only slightly. Time stands still. Phone battery dies. Those pink and yellow banana sweets mix really well with a Brains Smooth. There’s a stone iguana behind the new bar. In my head this band are still playing there now and I can’t get away.

Rose Elinor Dougall, ex of those Pipettes, is beautiful, and now we have got that out of the way. I get the feeling there’s going to be a lot said of her in the near future, and for pretty good reason, her band sound well rehearsed, vaguely commercial, and not necessarily for the worse. Rose still strikes a good pose, this time dwelling less on that 60s kitch shtick and more on understated and clearly well crafted pop songs. She has a cool deadpan delivery and sultry singing voice, and I don’t know for sure, but i’m told it might be okay for me to play my SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR card in my second ever review on here.