With Holland's Inter City train network succumbing to winter's icy grip – we’re talking lows of -13 degrees – I sadly missed CMAT’s Wednesday night appearance in Stadsschouwburg but am told by everyone who squeezed into Groningen’s palatial 19th century municipal theatre that she absolutely killed it. “She’s like a punk rock Dolly Parton,” ventures the man from Radio Veronica who has no idea how much this will have endeared him and his radio station to young Ms. Thompson.

Along with Poland’s Berry Galazka, Iceland’s Arny Margret, Poland’s Izzy And The Black Trees and fellow Irish singer Yune Pinku - more of whom anon - Ciara Mary is one of the ‘Most Recommended’ acts at this year's Eurosonic showcase bash, which is a Mecca for festival bookers from all over the continent who use it to piece together their bills.

Somebody who loved his January trip to Groningen while he was alive was John Peel who used to drop serious money in the city's Plato record shop, which is a ringer for the one that starred alongside John Cusack in High Fidelity. My salary is a few zeros less than his, but I still manage to spend far too much on a couple of Ivor Cutler albums - Mr. P would most definitely approve - and a meaty Motörhead box-set, made to be played loud, which the neighbours will be hearing a lot of over the coming weeks.

CMAT at ESNS 24 by Ben Houdijk.

This fine music emporium is running its own in-store Platosonic festival which gives Hot Press its first glimpse of The Lambrini Girls, a Brighton trio who are loud, vulgar and almost illegal amounts of fun. “Who here is ready to fuck?” enquires guitarist and singer Phoebe Lunny - that sounds suspiciously like an Irish name! - by way of an introduction. With distortion pedals set to ‘infinity’, they tear through ‘Help Me I’m Gay’ like a pack of rabid Rottweilers. I’ve got “Wet Leg go Riot Grrrl” written in my notes which is perhaps a bit glib but I’m going to stick with it. Lunny decides to disinvest herself of her dress at the end of it and plays the rest of the set in her undies, which is something you don’t get from Hozier.

The brand spankin’ new ‘God’s Country’ is dedicated to Dutch PM-in-waiting Geert Wilders and the other far-right goons currently polluting Planet Earth. The wonderfully silly ‘Craig David’ results in some call and response audience participation and, much to the chagrin of Plato’s security guard, Phoebe doing a spot of crowd-surfing. Despite a wardrobe malfunction, she doesn't skip a beat as she travels up the middle-aisle and back.

No matter how anarchic things get in the Lambrini world, which is very, they never forget to include a killer pop chorus. I fucking love ‘em!

Arny Margaret at ESNS 24 by Ben Houdijk.

There’s also a good Plato crowd in for Get Jealous, a Dutch band of a similarly punky persuasion whose ace ‘Wannabe Skater’ sounds like Avril Lavigne fronting The Ramones - which I suspect is the desired result. Elsewhere, there are nods to Belly, Pixies, Bikini Kill and all that other good stuff.

If there’s any country that punches above its musical weight more than Ireland it’s Iceland who’ve this year sent a record number of artists to Eurosonic. First up are Vevaki, a folk band whose otherworldly music is based around Nordic heathenism. It’s all immensely powerful with thunderous drums, vocals that sound like Gregorian chants but clearly aren’t and a penchant for drones which isn’t a million miles removed from Lankum.

Meanwhile, their compatriot Arny Margret is playing on the other side of the Grote Markt, the huge medieval square that most of Eurosonic’s fourteen venues are dotted around. The mad scrum to get in is explained by her exquisitely crafted folk pop, which owes as much to ‘70s West Coast America as it does her own birthplace. Quite simply, she’s a star whose archly-titled they only talk about the weather is the most exciting thing to come out of Iceland since the debut Sugarcubes album.

The speed gigging continues with Portugal, another of this year’s Eurosonic Spotlight Countries, done proud by Grand Sun, a psychedelically-inclined Lisbon band whose big wall of guitar noise borrows from The Doors, Secret Machines and Jefferson Airplane. They’re welcome in Dublin any time.

Beloved of Alex Kapranos who recorded the belting ‘Is This Love?’ with her a couple of years back, Amsterdamer Pip Blom has a bit of an indie Charlie XCX thing going on with big Daft Punk-style beats adding to the considerable fun being had on stage.

Standard-bearers for Slovakia’s healthy dance scene, Meowlau x Val endear themselves to the locals by having a song called ‘Groningen’, which was apparently penned independently of Eurosonic. Like the rest of their breathlessly delivered set, it’s a rather bonkers mix of drum ‘n’ bass, wailing (in a good way!) Ofra Haza-style vocals and big Eurovision choruses.

The Vices at ESNS 24 by Ben Houdijk.

Household names round these parts, The Vices disappointingly turn out to be four thoroughly wholesome chaps who come on like a cross between U2 and Europe, which isn’t actually as horrendous as it sounds.

The second biggest crowd of the night is for Elmiene, the British-Sudanese neo soulster who rocks a mean kaftan and, far from hiding his influences, stops mid-set to impersonate his musical heroes John Legend and Prince. Wrapped around such swoonsome R&B tunes as ‘Someday’ and ‘Marking My Time’ - the Oxford singer is definitely a lover, not a fighter - his voice is a thing of silken beauty.

Exactly the same can be said of Yunè Pinku, the Irish-Malaysian artist who follows Elmiene in the Grand Theatre. Announcing her arrival with last year's Babylon 1X EP, she performs solo surrounded by a geeky collection of synths and sequencers. If Massive Attack ever deign to make new music again, the 20-year-old has to be top of their collaborators list with her treated vocals redolent of the Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser at her most blissed-out.

Musically, we're talking house, garage and occasionally banging techno shot through with Radiohead-style experimentation. With her beguiling stage presence and abundant production skills, it's no surprise that Ms. Pinku left Groningen with one of the festival's prestigious Music Moves Europe awards. Twenty twenty-four really is hers for the taking.

Yune Pinku at ESNS 24 by SHOTBYSE7EN.

I only catch the briefest of glimpses of Conchur White but he clearly has the Lutherse Kerk crowd in the palm of his alt.folk hand. Eurosonic well and truly conquered, the Armagh man is flying home to celebrate the release of his Swirling Violets album with free record store gigs in Boneyard, Armagh and Golden Discs, Derry (January 20); Rollercoaster, Kilkenny and Luca Records, Waterford (21); and Spin Dizzy, Dublin (25). Cop an earful of '501s' and you'll know why you have to be there.

Showered and breakfasted, Hot Press is ready to do it all again with Yard, Chubby Cat, English Teacher, Lynks and Norway's magnificently named Heave Blood And Die all on our must-see list. Tot ziens for now!

Check out our photo gallery from Wednesday & Thursday at Eurosonic 2024 here!