With just two days left to go before 2006 finally draws to a close, the focus is firmly set on who or what is going to make an impact next year (or should that, theoretically, be next week?).

One of those bands already being tipped are Late Of The Pier, fresh from the confines of Castle Donnington, a small town whose only previous note of existence comes courtesy of East Midlands airport.

Looking for all the world like the archetypical rock band - you can't move down the front for pre-pubescent girls during their set - the haircuts and clobber have been studied and crafted to perfection, while the moves seem to be borrowed from Kraftwerk and The Automatic. This is particularly true of their hyperactive keyboard player, whose ironing board, used to support said instrument, looks about to bend and break any moment.

A lot of their songs do sound the same, but it's early days yet, and if they can muster up some more tunes in the coming months - like The Faint-on-better-steroids 'Bathroom Gurgle' or the 'Making Plans For... New Year's Eve?' post-punk vignette of 'Random Firl' - 2007 could be a productive year for Late Of The Pier.

For Good Shoes, 2007 is more of a make or break scenario, as their frivolous stop-start robo-punk hasn't quite caught the nation's attention as expected. It's a damn shame, considering the plethora of quality songs at their disposal.

Maybe a lot of the trepidation has been partly the fault of their live shows, which have seemed somewhat muted and nervous in the past. Fortunately this evening, after near-on twelve months of continual touring and festival activities, the band have pretty much honed their set to an impressive half-hour of material that doesn't contain even the slightest morsel of filler.

'Small Town Girl', 'We Are Not The Same' and 'The Photos On My Wall' you'll already be familiar with, and none of them disappoint, but it's the likes of 'Blue Eyes' and 'Never Meant To Hurt You' that are the real standouts tonight, with the smart money on either of these being the one that catapults Good Shoes into the wider public consciousness.

Amidst all this they debut a brand new song, 'Wait'. Like everything else they play, it sounds like a hit record in waiting. Of course, the hard work for Good Shoes starts now, but in a world that's ready to accept Britpop and Springsteen imposters with consummate ease, there really is no excuse why this lot should be contemplating failure.