T-Break Heat 8 @ King Tut's

So the last night of the Glasgow T Break heats are upon us with another roster of bands that again boasts a variety of contrasting styles. As with any last night, you want to finish big.

How to Swim (5/5) are big. Eleven of them are squeezed onto the Tuts stage and they produce quite simply a jaw-dropping performance, as they produce dark, menacing songs that speak of the attitude of Tom Waits married with the experimental side of Velvet Underground. A constantly growing crowd are left stunned by the audacious brilliance of their performance.

With Glaswegian four piece, Exit Pilot (4/5) following, the stage suddenly looks much larger. However, with their industrial rock sound reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and the straightforward indie style of The Strokes, they inflate the atmosphere and gain a good reception from the crowd for their impressive set.

With possibly the quickest turnaround of the heats, Billy Bates (4/5) ambles on to stage; just a man and a guitar, a world away from the musical congestion of How To Swim. What follows is a moving set of songs that brings silence (eventually) to the bustling crowd. With a voice that is the bastard son of Jeff Buckley and Robert Plant, he brings more emotion to a song that anyone else over the last four nights and underpins it all with glorious guitar playing. Simply amazing.

Clambering to the stage next are Think:Fire (2/5). With obvious leanings to the UK rock produced by Lost Prophets and Hell Is For Heroes, they produce plenty of energy and have an ability to turn out melody driven pop tunes but with no remarkable traits and are ultimately forgettable.

There is nothing forgettable about Some Young Pedro (4/5). Blasting forth with a wave of post-hardcore sonic angst recalling Fugazi and Sonic Youth, they quite simply stun the shamefully small crowd. The audience could not take their eyes and ears away from this three piece.

With the crowd decreasing further, Solarise (2/5) take to the stage. With a rock sound that is quite bland and unimaginative, bringing comparison to the Stereophonics, interest is quickly lost by the remaining T Break crowd. With their cliched rock moves and a frontman sporting sunglasses, Solarise unfortunately fall into the unremarkable category.