Spycatcher, The Social Club, Hope And State @ The Amber Rooms, Watford.

Tonight's venue is brilliantly small. A tiny basement in this little pub in deepest, darkest Watford. It's evokes the atmosphere of the DIY gigs I rarely see occuring these days. 40 capacity and 75 people in, it's also cramped, hot and sweaty, but all the better for it!

Hope And State kick proceedings off with a sound that nods heavily to the likes of The Ataris and Gameface. Whilst this is no bad thing, they don't quite have enough memorable songs to make them stand out from the crowds. Hopefully in 6 months time they will have got a couple nailed.

The Social Club have no problem with memorable tunes. Perhaps it's cause I saw Captain Everything (Lew from the Social Club's old band) countless times, but it feels like welcoming an old friend back even though this is the first time I've seem them. Essentially sounding like Captain Everything crossed with Elvis Costello, each song is brilliantly charming and the banter between is hilarious. Keep an eye on these boys.

It's a tough act for Spycatcher to follow, and it feels at first like they may be overfaced. Their opening song hits hard, but lacks the big riffs and memorable moments of many of their other songs. The balance soon shifts though as they fire through a volley of tracks from that cracking debut ep, not to mention new song "I Don't Like People", which is surely a radio hit waiting to happen. Their set is short and punch, but all the better for it, leaving me reaching for my ipod so I can re-visit that ep for my journey home!