Rebus @ Unknown Pleasures, Clapham Junction

Just awesome. Following a heavy night at the After Dark on the Friday I was kind of struggling to get into things, needing about 3 false starts (once where I actually managed to leave the house and go get some lunch with a friend), but eventually made it to Clapham Junction. And thank fuck I did. What a night! The gig venue was a place called Project Orange, a little bar-cafe thing on Clapham Junction High Street, with a basement built for sweaty gigs.. The whole thing felt a lot like a Club Velocity night..

Anyway, up first were Dead! Dead! Dead! from Southampton, who just blew me away. Don't really know how to describe them, but they were great fun to listen to, and seemed like a rockier, slightly proggier offspring of SixNationState and Pavement, which could never be a bad thing. Well worth the entrance fee alone. Then on came Rebus, and I'd hazard it was their best gig yet. With people lying on the spiral staircase fire escape so they could see through the gaps in the stairs, the audience reaction was just amazing. Dancing all around the tiny venue, clapping along at points, cheering, shouting, just brilliant. Definitely the best set I've seen from anyone this year, with Pete & The Pirates at PopToys and SixNationState at Club Velocity also being up there.. Then Les Incompetents. Essentially an even more ragged Libertines, but with a few random vocalists. It always felt like it was going to fall apart, but was really good fun! Not sure I'd risk seeing them again, as the main singer seemed like he'd wind me up before too long, but I'm glad I was there!

Brilliant night all round.

It's now Tuesday and I still feel a bit hungover from the weekend.