Saturday 20/10/07 Das Pop, The Maple State, Airship, Elle S'Appelle @ In The City, Manchester

All of the well meaning, sensible drinking plans for the night before clearly didn’t last too long for most of the early attendees here at Night & Day Café on the evidence of the many pained faces, and the general lethargic energy that greets the much talked up Scouse trio, Elle S’Appelle, appearance on stage. But it would seem their mixture of quirky keyboard-led new-wave pop is just the tonic, rousing people from their head-in-hands posture and jumping to the joyous noise.

The dual vocalists of Lucy (also handling keys duties) and Andy (providing the bass frequencies) are an appealing focal point, oozing cheery abandon - something much needed in the stoic industry climate - stand out track ‘Little Flame’ will draw quick comparisons to Mates of State or a streamlined Architecture In Helsinki, and their short set certainly does a good job of raising the atmosphere.

Unfortunately the good mood doesn’t last beyond the first song from five-piece Airship, whose maudlin sub-Snow Patrol dirges might well suit teary Hollyoaks scenes, or the V-Festival main stage, but tonight it’s most peoples cue for the bar.

Local lads, The Maple State, have become a regular presence on the Night & Day stage this past year, evidenced by the sizeable gaggle mounting near the front as soon as the first note rings out.
It’s hard to tell whether their 80’s inspired sound is too emotion for all hardened indie enthusiasts here-perhaps taking more influence from the likes of Motion City Soundtrack - but the quintets tight harmonies and lightly charged pop punk numbers inspire much head nodding and foot tapping and they exit stage with more fans than when they started.

Which leads us to the veterans of the bill, Belgium’s Das Pop have been playing under various guises since 1994 but they first started to make waves with 2000’s ‘I Love’ and from the stadium-sized ambitions of frontman Brent Van Looy to the electronic tinged unashamed pop songs it’s unclear why they are still little known this side of the North Sea.

Whilst their cheery beats might prove too much for some-at times recalling overplayed housewife favourites The Feeling at their most annoyingly chirpy - the groups hook filled songs and virally infectious good mood is enough to make those left forget the earlier traumas until they return tomorrow.