Fest Review: Unicorn Kid / Young Fathers

Glasgow scenesters, prepare to flinch. The next sentence is going to cause you pain. Edinburgh has stolen your crown as Scotland's most exciting city for music.

Now, this will no doubt only be a temporary thing, and cynics might even suggest that petty inter-city rivalries have no place in music, so keep calm. But be warned, having endured years of being the poorer relation when it comes to producing quality bands, Edinburgh can just about get away with milking this one for a while yet. Honestly, you wait years for a quality Edinburgh pop act and then two come along at once.

There's a ridiculous, almost manic feel-good vibe floating round the Cab Vol tonight. Everyone in the venue is grinning wildly, or punching the air with glee. And that's just the bar staff. Unicorn Kid takes the initial credit for creating this atmosphere. The 17-year-old superstar DJ from Leith pumps out tune after tune of his insanely catchy electro dance pop, and instead of standing nonchalantly behind his decks, he dances just as fervently as anyone in the crowd – which tonight is no mean feat. Scary Monsters prompts even the bouncer standing next to the stage to start waving a glowstick that some wide-eyed kid handed him moments before in a act of bravado.

If that wasn't good enough, next up are Young Fathers. This trio have taken the best bits of De La Soul and Outkast—and everyone's favourite dead celebrity, Michael Jackson—and come up with a sound that's still sounds unique. Forget gangsta rap: if it's silly posturing or ryhmes about hoes you're after, then look elsewhere. If instead you like hip-hop to be inventive and responsive to the world around it, then pay attention.

Young Fathers' lyrics are fresh and their delivery and wordplay inventive – almost as inventive as their dance routines. Now you might have thought that coordinated dance moves went out with Boyzone, but you would be wrong. You can always tell how good a gig is by how the crowd reacts to it – and tonight there's not a crowd as such, there's just one big party going on around the stage. Can there be a greater endorsement than that?