Brilliant Mind, The Notebook and Mansfield Holiday - The Head of Steam, 9/3/10 (Gig)

It's fair to say that local gigs don't always feature entirely complementary line-ups, often shoe-horning a few bands together simply because they all happen to be free on a given night. Tonight's selection, however, would appear to be a little more thoughtfully assembled, rich as it is with sharp, literate guitar pop. Mansfield Holiday are our starting point. They reference any number of classic bands, but imbue it with a touch more aggression and some lovely keyboard noises. They are deceptively melodic amid the clamour, and thoroughly exhilarating. Next up we have the graceful, elegant The Notebook. Their bookish pop comes tinged with lilting Americana, with the exception of the thunderous mini post-rock epic they close the set with. They are a band who already sound fully formed, with the muddy sound of the Steamer failing to mask the quality of the songs. The same can be said of final band Brilliant Mind. The spirit of Pulp is heavy in the air tonight, particularly in the Jarvis-alike appearance of The Notebook's singer, but it is most apparent in Brilliant Mind's sharply-observed and wonderfully lean songcraft. Frontman Calum is a classic English pop star, a squirming, agitated creature whose presence enhances the band's appeal. Their set is truncated slightly by time constraints, but this just makes their playing all the more urgent. The likes of Leave Your Friends Behind and Our Osprey in particular are getting better with every show. All told, a great show. Three cracking bands for four quid - Take that economic meltdown!

Styles Make Fights - 4/11/09 - Cluny 2 (Gig)

Barely two weeks ago, we extolled the virtues of The Cluny. Well, Newcastle’s greatest gig spot recently said a commendable ‘fuck you’ to the recession and commandeered the former theatre next door, turning it into a mini-Cluny, called, of course, Cluny 2. The place is imbued with as much character as its big brother, and is a fitting addition to the family.

Our first visit there is for a show which marks the launch of the sterling new EP by Newcastle’s very own brilliant indie-popsters Styles Make Fights. The line-up, hand-picked by our headliners, starts off with a wonderful solo performance by Kieran Rafferty of White Collar Weapons.

We don’t believe for a second his assertion that he is part of ‘a thirteen piece band where twelve people haven’t turned up’, but in spite of his bare-faced lies, he’s a wonderfully likeable performer. His boisterously self-deprecating on-stage persona is reflected in his songs, raggedly charming as they are.

For someone who is presumably more used to playing with a band than alone, he looks completely at ease up there, and doesn’t seem at all perturbed when bits of his guitar start detaching themselves in his hand (alas, not the last guitar malfunction we will see this evening). His between-song chit-chat is as likeable as his songs, so that even when he is shamelessly touting for a job or a gig you can’t help but feel warmly towards him.

Second band Brilliant Mind are just as enjoyable as Rafferty, warming up nicely as their set goes on. They are the sort of classic indie pop band which only England has every been able to produce, and feature a front-man with some impressive Morrissey-meets-Paul Smith moves.

The songs at their disposal already seem completely effortless and fully-realised. It also definitely helps that they are all such good musicians, because the sharpness of the execution emphasises the sheer quality of the music. The fact that their best song of the night ‘Leave it Out, Rob’ is a new one is obviously an encouraging sign. They are a great foil for Styles Make Fights, sharing a similarly keen ear for a sharp melody.

As the years have gone by, our headliners have maintained a powerful pop sensibility but they’ve gradually instilled it with something a little edgier and darker. This has given them an enticing extra dimension, and might be something to do with the addition of new(ish) singer James, who gives a tetchy, agitated presence to their show.

The energy embedded in the songs has always been one of their strengths. As usual, this is reflected in their delivery, which carries the assurance of a band who know that they have a consistently strong set. With every show that goes by, songs like ‘Not Around’. ‘Rita and Betty’ and ‘ Chauffeurs’ sound more and more like classics. Even when they are struck by the distressingly potent curse of the malfunctioning guitar which is prevalent tonight, they manage to hold it together without any fuss or drama, consummate pros that they are.

Going into the second decade of the 21st Century, we find ourselves at a bit of a crossroads in the North-East. The decade’s first wave of our bands, led by Maximo Park and the Futureheads, found massive mainstream success. Then the second wave featuring the likes of Kubichek and Dartz produced fantastic albums, but kind of fizzled out. We are definitely primed for another attack on the national music scene, but we just need some kind of catalyst to kick it off. Tonight has made it quite clear that there is sufficient quality in the region to suggest that the third wave can’t be far off.