Kicking things off, Donegal outfit Berkley displayed a neat line in edgy, guitar-driven pop, which was tight and well rehearsed. They also demonstrated solid songwriting skills which, combined with an obvious live ability marked them out as definite future contenders.

Four-piece Soundrive came on with a big synthesised 1980’s sound reminiscent of long forgotten bands like Hue And Cry and the Blow Monkeys. With an excellent vocalist, a slew of good original songs and a strong visual sense they were easily the most accessible act of the night.

With two females – on vocals and bass – Kade were visually appealing even before they’d played a note. Their sound, rooted in abrasive punk/grunge was a cross between Nirvana and The Ramones and despite a pony-tailed guitarist who was overly fond of the effects pedal, they were enjoyable.

Already highly regarded on the local scene Blue Sun clearly knew what they were doing – the singer/frontman Brue, a black American living in Ireland possessed true star quality while his songs were original and inspired.

By now the audience had dwindled to about twenty-seven souls, (I counted ‘em!) but despite this, the final act of the evening Tripstone managed to pull it together, their main calling card being a confident female vocalist and a strong pop sensibility.