As the opening chords of 'Widescreen Blue' bounced off the faces of the audience like summer sun off a cracked mirror it was apparent that we were in for a rare treat. The meandering riff, not dissimilar of Radiohead's 'My Iron Lung', buckled as the bass and drums entered the fray. Then from noise came calm as Paul began to sing. The pre-gig description of blutarsky as "Smashing Pumpkins messing with the Beatles songbook" seemed uncannily accurate.

Next up were fans' favourites 'redwhiteandblue' and '10, 000 marbles' from the first two EP's which demonstrated the band's pop sensibilities and keen ear for melody. After a whirlwind opening salvo it was time for a change of mood and the band played a new song called 'no plain talking.'

Every band needs a breakthrough song and judging by the audience reaction to this latest creation, one of the first to be composed by Giz on keyboards, 'no plain talking' could be it. An eerie hush descended as the lilting chords were delicately dished out and Paul sang a perfect accompaniment. At the songs end there was a moment's silence as the entranced audience gathered themselves before unleashing the biggest cheer of the evening. The response to this song was noticeably more enthusiastic than previously and it seemed to affect the band who looked stunned by the reaction.

Not surprisingly this level of intensity could not be maintained and blutarsky played the rest of the set well but could not quite match what had gone before. 'September Song' hit a groove and rattled along seductively, sounding at once like Elvis Costello and Wire, and a hi-octane 'Coming to a Close' underlined the skill and harmony of Toby and Marcus in the rhythm section. 'Rope' was the usual delicious mix of urban blues and disco (Doves go pop anyone?) and the throwaway cover of 'Sunny Afternoon' finished the set in style.

Ultimately though it was 'no plain talking' that stole the show and this band are definitely worth tracking down. Heard once, never forgotten.