The crowd had come to see Blutarsky. Camden's HQ Club, an exercise in intimacy by the canal, was full of eager punters; and the London-based outfit didn't disappoint.

The short set kicked off violent but lyrical with Widescreen Blue. Very much an opener, the song is by turns rock-hard and memorably soft. By the close, everyone was well pleased that they'd ventured out on a damp weekday night. The four-strong band - drums, guitar/keyboards, bass and as mobile a singer as the tiny stage would allow - look good together, with the lads clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience.

With barely a beat pause we were straight into Red White & Blue via a deep, chiming guitar introduction. Things then turned pleasingly poppy, with Paul Cutcliffe's vocals impressing again. Blutarsky really hit their stride, however, with the next track in the sequence, Coming to a Close. There was genuine excitement on stage as lead guitar Gareth Davies and drummer Marcus 'Wobbly' O'Shea let rip for a long instrumental bridge.

After their three-piece kickoff had climbed to a powerful climax, it was (of course) ballad time. The sweet There You Go, dominated by piano sound, proved to be a turning point, with Cutcliffe then acquiring a guitar. He made good use of it in the best song of the night, Rope. This is catchy but substantial stuff and an obvious contender for single release. It was followed by Holy Grail; short, heavy-opening and drawing the loudest crowd-reaction yet.

Pausing before the two-track finale, Cutcliffe joked that Toby Ellis would start playing his bass guitar soon - then he plugged Blutarsky's next gig (13th December, Lil' Backyard Club, Great Portland Street, London). This unsigned outfit's confidence is striking. September Song was arguably the top foot-tapper, with vocals again to the fore and the crowd lapping it up. Then, with a crash, it was straight into the anthemic 10,000 Marbles; closing the set with gutsy guitar and mellow verse. The audience were left wanting more. Comparisons can be drawn (Coldplay, Radiohead's Pablo Honey) but, essentially, Blutarsky had been distinctive.