Friday 15/10/10 In The City @ Various Venues, Manchester

“So you're a delegate?" a band frontman asks me at the bar. His attitude towards my next-in-queue position at the bar changes somewhat when he scans the red pass dangling around my neck. It's like having a golden ticket this weekend, I thought, whilst watching the prides and herds of my fellow delegates linger with rollies and a nonchalant gait. It's just a shame that it's not up to me to sign some of the superb bands that were peddling their wares at this three-day event.

In The City has taken some tough knocks over the past few years. It's notoriety as the essential unsigned gathering of the year was cast into dispute by the already-risen coast kids, The Drums. More positively, it's an event that has more and more recently flung it's VIP doors open to aspiring industry moguls. Those willing to pay the fee are invited to attend a series of workshops seminars and lectures from some of music's large names. All in all, ITC is an inclusive and vital event, which this year was concentrated in the deliciously shabby drinking holes of Manchester's Northern Quarter.

Amongst a dizzyingly packed schedule, with around at least ten bands to choose from at any given time, we first bumped into electro-trio Gypsy and The Cat. Despite some fairly amateur sound control that left the vocals buried under layers of synths, samba drums and many other quirky effects, they do a good job of keeping it all from sounding too samey and have all of the enthusiasm for their sound as you'd expect to find at a 2am mash-up in Sankeys.

Over at Dry Bar, the hotly tipped Crystal Fighters lived up to their reputation as hedonistic crowd pleasers. They have the frontmanship of a slightly-twisted Reverend, flanked by shades of The Happy Mondays. Psychadelic and anarchic, they give a great set - and have the brass balls to take it onto bigger stages for 2011. Next door at Night and Day, rawk-cious Pulled Apart by Horses played to a cute little mosh pit, the Downloaders in town getting their fix amongst the dominating indie and electro that this year had to offer. They are characteristically tight and give the tiny stage and PA system a thrashing.

We'd heard that one not to miss was Barcelona-bred, Mujeres. Hastily gathered in the converted Umbro warehouse, they carefully explain how infact they nearly got stranded in London, but made it to us 3 trains and a few hours later. Their poppy rock n’ roll was scruffily cute and endearing, a bit like a bedraggled dog shaking out its fur. They were victim of a Random Mancunian attack (the instance in which random Manc thinks he's Shaun Ryder and hijacks the mic). Whether plain polite or sheer confused, the Spanish set let him get his swagger out of his system with goods grace.

It's then Ruby Lounge for the after party. This is where delegates delegate over a pricey pint or two and the night's drawing too late to focus on the myriad fliers, demos and merchandise being thrust around. ITC got it right this year. A good balance of indie and dance opened the ears and musical repertoires of the industry's best boozers and shakers, meaning that at least a few of the acts on show may have struck it lucky. For the rest, there'll be plenty more delegates to fry next year.

In The City 2010 - Photos