Friday 19/10/07 The Teenagers, Pete And The Pirates, Headlines @ In The City, Manchester

Another year, another In The City. Except, it's not just another year, and it's certainly not the same conference. We head out to Manchester's Night and Day Café with the sad knowledge that the man who started this whole shindig will not be here. However, as sad as Tony Wilson's death is - not just for the city of Manchester but for anyone who has a love for the music that was created there - the organisers felt the most fitting tribute to him would be to keep on with the show. Mancunians lost D:Percussion this year. If In The City was to go too, Mr Wilson would probably turn in his premature grave.

We're late getting to ITC, and by the time we arrive at Xfm's X-posure night at the N&D, it's already rammed. Thankfully, we're in time to see Headlines, who will remain one of the most refreshing acts Gigwise catches all weekend. When The Kooks arrived on the scene a few years back, this reviewer was jealous of their youth and good looks, but took solace in the fact that they were shite. With Headlines, he's stuck with jealousy. Tracks such as single 'Takeover' and 'Damage To The Sea' seem constantly to veer towards the twee or the overly complex, but always seem to be hauled back in by a classic pop hook. There's Clor in there, there's Maxïmo Park too, but there's also a hell of a lot of straight-from-the-paper-round cheek. Jammy little bastards.

Up next are a group that this reviewer has been eager to catch for a while, and so it feels a bit false to be seeing them for the first time at a showcase such as this. Especially as the chances to see them haven't exactly been rare – they seem to be permanently on the road. But tonight it is, and Pete and The Pirates are as understatedly delightful as had been hoped. Singles such as 'Come On Feet' and 'Knots' are as warm as they are on record, jangling lo-fi indie that sits somewhere between Pavement and The Wedding Present. But often, a darker, rumbling edge lurks, making perfect sense of the mooted tour with The Young Knives. Singer Tommy Sanders will later tell us that he thought the show was awful. He might know better than us, but Gigwise thinks he's wrong.

And on to The Teenagers. It's with trepidation that Gigwise sticks around to see the London-based Parisans, having found 'Homecoming' and 'Scarlett Johansson' to be about as pleasurable as genital warts. However, we also know that it's all a big joke on us, and the whole thing could start to make sense live. Plus, they're signed to Kitsune – a good sign, non? Well, it's hard to tell if any of this matters during what basically amounts to watching some half-arsed get with an inane grin doing a turn on the karaoke while his mates play over the backing track. To say Quentin Delafon is in love with himself is a bit like saying Johnny Borrell thinks he looks good in his white jeans. And it's not just Delafon – it's the music too, plodding along like a failing pacemaker. We know it's meant to be deadpan, cheap and nasty, but it doesn't have to be boring. The joke's over, boys. Start making us dance.