An appropriately full Junction tonight, with a crowd who’ve clearly put a lot of effort in sartorially. Polka dots, berets and a general aura of laid-back indie glamour prevail – it’s been a while since I’ve seen a band whose audience so clearly had a Look of their own. The gathered crowd is also notable for being very open-minded – they grant the support bands the kind of rapt attention which implies that not only are they prepared to like them; they’re actually keen to do so. Crikey.

However, Monkey Swallows the Universe don’t know they’re facing possibly the most welcoming audience the south has to offer, and are therefore tangibly nervous as they take the stage. And sadly their indie-folk pop, although still laced with charm and full of soft, clear beauty, does suffer slightly from not being presented with the confidence it deserves: it’s hard to lose yourself in something so uncertainly, tentatively presented. But fuck it – a good tune is still a good tune. MSTU’s set might not be as softly winning as I suspect it has the potential to be, but it’s still full of fine songs. And indeed, their nervous demeanour doesn’t seem to do the band any harm – despite their shy-eyed, stumbling awkwardness, the crowd grows throughout their set and by the end there’s hand-clapping, yells of appreciation and maybe even a little bit of dancing down at the front. Hopefully next time the memory of this will give them the confidence they need to let their live sound shine as brightly as their recorded efforts.

Next up are 1990's. I have a copy of their single, and I love it. The recorded version of ‘You’re Supposed To Be My Friend’ is biting, acidic, sarcastic and venomous. By taking a fairly 'normal' sound and lacing it with racking bile they break through expectations and turn it into a searing, jeering parody of itself. Onstage… well, that acid doesn’t come through. And if the winning element of your sound is the venom with which you undermine your chosen genre, and then you remove that venom, you just end up with a straight version of the sound you were originally taunting. And then you really, really disappoint me. Damn you, we had a covenant! You bastards! So yeah – I sat through a set of tragically generic indie-rock enthusiasm, and I felt very upset.

Ho hum.

So thank heavens, then, for The Long Blondes; a band who not only have never disappointed, but who also seem to improve – more power, more confidence, more poise, more energy – every time I see them. Their headline role tonight is entirely fitting, and they have the audience in the palm of their collective hand from the moment the lights dim. Of course the tunes are fantastic: harmonies, beats and melody counterpointed with the energy and force of rock and roll, making for a thoroughly pop band who also boast a depth beneath the surface which so many pop acts needlessly renounce. The singles are inevitably greeted with most warmth, but unknown offerings from the forthcoming album never leave the audience cold: every number is a hit, whether or not they’re well known enough to shout along to. Well, that’s the instant catchiness power of pop for you, and is one of The Long Blondes’ secrets.

The other? It’s the mixture of truth and romance which rolls off all their songs in a heady, life-affirming wave. The Long Blondes have realised that you don’t have to be miserable to speak the truth; that you don’t have to be misanthropic to be a bit jaded and cynical; that there’re ways of connecting with people which don’t involve whinging about how much you feel their pain; that you can talk about how shite life can sometimes be without giving in to despair. Which means The Long Blondes manage to matter without being maudlin and to offer hope without being unrealistic – and that going to see one of their gigs is among the least cloying and transitory types of overwhelming pop joy that one can experience. And, what is more, they have style and appreciate the importance of a really good shirt.

Life affirming, intelligent, witty, barbed and quite simply fucking sublime, this band matter in all the right ways. Long may they reign.