London calling at the top of the dial

I've spent a large part of this weekend holed up in Paradiso listening to bands most people have never heard of. The occasion? A bi-annual mini-festival dubbed London Calling which showcases the best of new British (and lately Irish and US) musical talent. I managed to catch twelve bands in total between Friday and Saturday night. Not bad for €20. Some of the bands were quite samey, but here's a run down of the ones I can still remember (and I can't even use alcohol as an excuse for my patchy memory...):

Bromheads Jacket. We caught the end of their set first thing on Friday night. Musically speaking, they're a cross between the Libertines and the Streets and I mean that in an only-okay way. Quite an entertaining set though as the lead singer was very obviously under the influence of Amsterdam's finest and at one point stage dove while still holding his guitar. He managed to smash both guitar and head, but continued playing with just bass and drums (and a trickle of blood making its way down his nose) until an intrepid roadie appeared with a new guitar. Rock and roll.

My Latest Novel. In four words: shouty orchestral folk pop. They reminded me of the Frames and the Arcade Fire. A bit too acoustic and unconventional for the very young and very mainstream indie rock crowd though, and didn't go over too well. I got chatting to a couple of them later on and they were very lovely, very wee and very Scottish. Aw.

The Futureheads. These guys were in a different class to every other band we saw on Friday. They've just come off a US tour supporting the Foo Fighters and are obviously still coasting on the adrenaline. They were amazingly polished and confident and their songs sound even better live. Total show stealers.

First up on Saturday were The Long Blondes. Currently milking the tag of "best unsigned band in Britain" for all it's worth (at least to my cynical mind). Their lead singer and Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand need to get together and start having gorgeous indie babies now.

Howling Bells. Another band with a pretty frontwoman! Hurrah! Very bluesy, very unusual, and very attractive. Think they eventually won the crowd over.

The Kooks. By far the most disappointing band over the two nights. I really like their album but the lead singer was surly and completely uncharismatic, and their set was pretty messy. So much so that Sarah and I spent most of it pointing and giggling at a girl on the opposite balcony who was dancing rather inappropriately (read filthily) to every song. And she knew all the words! I was karmically rewarded for my meanness later on in the evening when she came all the way round to where I was sitting just to ask me if there were any more bands on. Caught rapid.

Now where was I? Oh yes. Mystery Jets. Wacky and quite wonderful. Their frontman plays the computer case and the steel pipe, and his dad is in the band (and very popular with the sixteen year olds in the front row). The already overactive crowd surfers in the pit were almost fighting for a go by the end of their set... then the drummer and bassist both decided to dive in. I think I'll be buying their album, if only to remind me of the live show.

Last but not least were The Sunshine Underground at 2am, by which time 99% of the crowd were completely ossified and I was feeling quite serene. The organisers seem to save the graveyard slot for a completely unknown band they think are going to do well (The Infadels played last time round) and they hit the nail on the head with these boys. Catchy dancey rock and lots of cowbell. What's not to love?

The next London Calling event is scheduled for November, by which time I'm guessing three or four of these bands will have made it big (for however long), one will have spontaneously combusted, and the rest will still be coasting along under the radar. Only time will tell...