For a first support act, the Maladies were quite impressive, with a distinctive sound despite the ordinary lineup of guitars, bass and drums. The short lead singer had a strange charm about him.
Laura, an instrumental rock band with so many guitars I lost count. A touch disappointing. Lots of noise, but didn't really move me in any way, other than perhaps wincing when it all got too loud. Shame. I was really looking forward to it when I saw they had a cello in the band.
Bluebottle Kiss. Been meaning to catch this band for a long time, and now's as good a time as any, on the back of releasing a critically acclaimed double album. Four core members on guitars, bass and drums, with Sophie stepping in once in a while on keys and another drummer playing along when required. Bluebottle Kiss have always felt more intelligent than your typical local rock band, but they also know how to rock out. I had managed to forget that and was quite pleasantly surprised. Not only did they write great songs, but they also sound fantastic. Which just makes it totally sad that at the end of the night, I turn around to exit, and see that the venue was barely a quarter full. Criminally under appreicated.