Screw Mr Scruff, get yerself some electric toys and heroin Britney instead

Yours truly and a few chummies stumbled upon a couple of bands at the In The City festival last night. We had tried to get into Mr Scruff, but with just one doorman and a queue to rival Ikea on 'Two Square Bits Of Wood For The Price Of One' Day, we took a wander and ended up at Dry Bar.

The band we saw were not entirely non-undisimilar to the Zutons, only more stoner and with a person 'Bez' dancing while adorned in a suit made of hands. They are Misty's Big Adventure and they were massive fun. They describe themselves as "hip hop, scratching, screwy beats, pop and electric toys". One of their toys flashed. Ooo.

The second is a scuzzy garage rock band called M.A.S.S  Their show was compelling mainly thanks to lead singer Justine, a frenzied 'Britney on heroin' (thanks Dan for that description). I actually recognised one of their songs from the wireless, Hey Gravity, which Justine sang while standing on the bar at the other end of the venue from the stage, holding the microphone with one hand and smashing the hell out of the venue's piping with the other hand. If the piping had burst, spewing effluent on the crowd, it would have been one of the less eventful moments in an a startlingly exuberant performance. Apparently the Libertines love 'em as much as Docherty loves his Class As.

I must make a note to check out more In The City gigs next year. I'm off to find a piece of paper.