No Windows @ Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 15 Dec

Stock Manager are a fierce opener, bringing the most intense set of the night. With wailing (and flailing) guitars and battered drums, the duo – plus a static-flecked TV – make a moody racket, à la Pixies or King Krule, that shows a lot of promise. 

Jacob Alon is a similarly prodigious talent despite drawing from much different influences. They have an exquisite folk-pop sensibility that sometimes sits awkwardly between earwormy hooks and intricate storytelling, like Jake Shears mashed with Damien Jurado. But it's all kept on track by a talented band and Alon's dreamy vocals. Another one to watch, on a night full of them.

This is No Windows' first headline show, but you wouldn't know it from the assured performance tonight (though still clearly being teenagers might give you a hint). The core duo of Morgan Morris and Verity Slangen is augmented with bass and drums tonight to give a little more oomph to their dreamy pop-rock.

Even at just 40-45 minutes there's a wide array of styles during the set. There are grungey licks and shoegaze textures (Shout (Red Song)), but Slangen's vocals are distinctively poppy in the vein of Let's Eat Grandma or Dolores O'Riordan. Eggshells is the best example of the band's melodic instincts and the standout song of the night. They play all of the recent Fishboy EP and throw in a few new tracks, as well as unreleased “old” ones, with Morris remarking that nothing they do can be classed as old given the band's only existed for maybe a year.

At this point they're obviously still finding their way and there are a few loose notes that show a DIY edge. This will probably get polished up in the future, but for now it makes for an endearing portrait of an enthusiastic, exciting prospect exploring the full range of their capabilities.