大象传媒

Oh, haven't they grown? Apologies for getting all misty-eyed, but having seen the Jane Bradfords develop from their early days, it's hard not to feel somewhat like a proud parent as they go out into the cruel world brandishing their debut album. Of course like all children they have had their problems - in particular, their habit of defacing t-shirts.

Anyway, they aren't the only thing on tonight. Indeed we have something of an all-star line-up, with three of the hottest tips in Belfast sharing the stage. Emphasising the strength of the line-up our openers are Cashier No. 9, who are well capable of headlining themselves. 'To The Death' shows what they're all about - that modern type of country-influenced rock in the vein of Sons & Daughters, all twang and with an edge of southern fried Alabama 3 or Broken Family Band. There's also a little bit of Madchester in there, with hints of the easy rolling funk of the Happy Mondays while 'So Nice To Meet You' is just class as it keeps our toes tapping. One of those bands who you can file away in the "I remember when they were a support act" memories.

Kowalski are much praised and much tipped, and have had (and taken) a few big chances, most notably when backing up Snow Patrol last year. And it's easy to see why. Their pleasant form of post-dance indie is very much in vogue, melodic guitars with the lazy dance tinges that recall Peter, Bjorn & John or MGMT. They're of the generation that sees including dance rhythms not as a gimmick or as the dominant feature of a song, but as just another component. It's inoffensive, and songs like 'You Can't Tell' and 'You Leave It' show that they love a beat. It's stronger, quicker songs though that show their promise, when they add a bit of steel to the subtlety you could easily imagine yourself dancing away in an indie club to a bit of this. A work in progress, and worth checking in on to see how they're doing in future.

Now for the Jane Bedingfields, I mean Jane Bradfords (blame this slip on front-man Deci's remarkable similarity to Mr Bedingfield). Having knocked around Belfast for a little while they've decided to make the leap out into the world with their brand of indie-dance. It's all 80s influences as they bounce along in a way reminiscent of New Order and their many offspring (Killers, Bravery and about a gagillion other bands recently). One of the things that sets them apart is their charm, from their friendly demeanour on-stage to their home-made t-shirts (note to self buy shares in white t-shirt factory), which have the refrain of "poor Jane Bradford" from opener 'The Pace That Kills' spread across them. This flows immediately into 'Ninety-Nine' as per the album. This demonstrates one of their weaknesses though, for as glorious as this track is (it could have walked onto a New Order album when they were good), going straight into it shows that there isn't really an ending to the first song - a problem that repeats throughout the set as though they've written the songs and then don't know how to finish them.

'October Eleven' is similarly influenced by New Order but comes across as more intelligent than most, combining Interpol and LCD Soundsystem after a couple of drinks when they feel like relaxing. Closing with their best track, 'Stategy #2 (Fight Them All)' they run through the musical history of Manchester with echoes of The Fall and New Order through to the kitchen sink attitude of the Unabombers and Chemical Bros (adopted Mancs) with its defiant chant and air raid siren ringing in our ears.

And that wasn't it. As the crowd howled for more and ignored their protests that they didn't have any more material, they look around and agree to try a cover, bravely taking on Radiohead, and doing a good job, before telling us that that really is it. Of course, it's not perfect, but at this stage it's all about potential, and there are seeds of something still there.

Words by William Johnston, pictures by Gav Harvey