Saturday 01/12/07 Mystery Jets, Friendly Fires, Holy Hail, Stricken City @ Bloomsbury Ballroom, London

The good people at Be and ACTH sure know how to put on a show, and tonight, with a rather sophisticated venue choice (the Bloomsbury Ballroom which is jaw-dropping at first and then increasingly reminiscent of a posh school hall), and a feast of fantastic musical acts they should all engage in an enthusiastic round of back patting.

With a voice reminiscent of Patti Smith, the lead singer of Stricken City, Rebekah Raa, dances around with apparent abandon. And yet her on stage antics somehow seem forced and unbelievable, partly because the music isn’t actually all that thrilling and partly because the rest of the band clearly aren’t in the same mood, standing around as they do like mopey shoegazers. The music raises a few eyebrows at first but it’s hard not to feel that most of the songs just don’t go anywhere; you spend most of the time waiting for them to really kick in.

While you wonder whether Stricken City really have that much to be excited about, the members of the also female fronted Holy Hail have the songs to match the energy they perform them with, although just why the keyboardist feels the need to stand with his legs that far apart is a question that will remain unanswered. But although their New Young Pony Club style tunes get the crowd dancing, tonight they really are only a warm up for the fantastic Friendly Fires.

Musically sophisticated with epic soundscapes and damned danceable tunes, Friendly Fires are full of everything that’s good about the indie world’s lean towards dance music (or vice versa, however you wish). The audience’s feet don’t stop moving from the moment they strike their first note until they fall back exhausted as the band vacates the stage. Indeed, a cowbell hasn’t sounded this good since ‘House of Jealous Lovers’.

Friendly Fires very nearly go so far as to outshine tonight’s headliners. Having just concluded a UK tour, Mystery Jets are well and truly back and we should welcome them with open arms. Despite the sad retirement of Henry Harrison (multi-instrumentalist and the dad of lead singer Blaine’s) from live performances, the band have a head full of steam tonight, performing plenty of songs from their forthcoming sophomore record, due out March 2008, as well as a few old favourites. And there’s a treat for fans when Henry even makes a brief appearance on tambourine. While there perhaps aren’t any immediately stand-out tunes amongst the new material, the band’s infectious harmonies and unique percussion are as bold as ever, and the crowd lap it up with a passion. Having been sufficiently fired up by a flood of musical talent, all that’s left is for the dancing to continue into the small hours.