The Great Escape @ Various Venues, Brighton: Day 3

Joy Division. They also sound like a cross between The Futureheads and Reuben, which is fine by us.

They’re followed at the Hope by Little Fish, an unsigned Oxford duo. The woman wants to be PJ Harvey and the man wants to be a drummer. He is a drummer. She isn’t PJ Harvey. Dramatic but ultimately unrewarding sound comes from the pair.

With cancellations and queues again cutting into our plans (why are we here again?) we plod over the horrendous Hector’s House, a truly dire little venue which looks more suited to a St Patrick’s Day punch up than to live music. Cassie and The Cassettes are a young, B&S-type group who make floppy indie but still have a little something about them: probably Cassie, who with her sweet nature is impossible to hate. Unlike Wild Beasts – did we mention how much we hate them? Anyway they’re not on tonight, we’re just making a point.

Afterwards comes The XX. You’d think XX Teens was something of a nadir for nomenclature (and music, while we’re at it), but no the XX have gone lower. They churn out mediocre high school indie pop, until a moment of genius halfway through when the band covers Footsteps On The Dancefloor. In our eyes, this suddenly redeems them for everything. Go The XX!

We’re weary. Onwards to the Barfly and more “I want to kill myself and everyone else here” moments. Yes it’s the Rascals. Fine if you like lairy indie, bad if you don’t. Alex Turner doesn’t bother turning up to see his mate but the Oasis fans of Brighton do. The Rascals sound (and feel) like you’re inside a twirling cement mixer listening to Definitely Maybe played at 2x speed while a factory foreman peers in then shouts down at you, joking about your predicament, pointing and going: “Ha ha, you’re in a cement mixer.” What were we saying about those machines that can cut off a guitarist’s fingers?

After that torment we want to end on a high note. And we do – it’s Crystal Castles again. Sound is not quite as good as Digital, but the vodka and drug-sodden atmosphere at 2.30am means the crowd are well up for this one. There’s an actual mosh pit, the songs are as amazing as ever. This is the band of the weekend. Believe in them. True higlights.