Sometimes, a good concept can be lost in the execution. There's nothing wrong with a concert promoting "new British songwriting at its very best", yet the gulf between the laudable idea and the reality of tonight's gig is puzzlingly immense. The artists include perennially overlooked Wigan trad-rockers Witness, Reindeer Section - less a band than a collective of minor indie musicians mucking about in their spare time - and Simian, a group devoted to the excesses of early 1970s prog. It's hardly the night of a thousand stars.
Languishing at the bottom of the bill, Dublin singer-songwriter David Kitt plays to more empty seats than audience. A pity, as he is the one genuinely fresh artist of the evening. The new acoustic movement is not renowned for its ability to startle, yet Kitt is constantly surprising. His lovely melodies come backed not by subtle strings, but the wheezing of an aged synthesiser. The set ends with torrents of feedback, a strange cover of Joy Division's Transmission and Kitt unselfconsciously pounding his guitar against the stage.
Witness's workmanlike songs quote liberally from the early 1990s - the influence of the La's is much in evidence. Manchester quartet Simian, meanwhile, are trapped in an earlier era. They meander interminably down a prog-rock path lined with bombastic instrumental overtures, falsetto vocals and flute solos.
Headliners Reindeer Section resurrect another unwelcome spectre of the early 1970s: the supergroup. Their 15-strong membership consists entirely of people from other bands, including Belle and Sebastian, Arab Strap, Alfie and Mogwai. They are marshalled by Gary Lightbody, lead singer with Conference League indie strummers Snow Patrol. The result is as smug and self-indulgent as their loon-panted forebears. Lightbody's songs are slight. A shambolic line-up involving two drummers and umpteen guitarists does them no favours. Seeing Reindeer Section live is like intruding on a private gag: band members giggle and goof on stage. Like tonight's concert in microcosm, Reindeer Section probably seemed like a good idea at the time. The reality is merely frustrating and unsatisfying.
