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Gigs where you feel you're amongst a privileged few to have witnessed something special, rather than part of a well entertained mass, are few and far between. Seeing Pale Angels play to a criminally small audience earlier this week was though one of those times.

As power trio performances go this was surely up there with the best that Bob Mould et al have pulled off in their time. Racing through a set of tunes from current album Daydreaming Blues as well as its predecessors Imaginary People & Primal Play, this was a tight and visceral show from a band clearly happy to be on the road whether filling halls or playing to a man and his dog.

The trio barely drew breath between numbers, other than to thank folk for turning out on a Sunday in December, battering along as if their lives depended on it (or at least because some heat was needed on stage). In the meaner margins of the indie scene it's the likes of Pale Angels who're slogging away so that you can get the buzz of a life-affirming show in your veins - keep an eye peeled for when they return and get your fix.

In support tonight there was the opportunity to see Lachance play a more compact space than afforded them when in Dundee on the BYAF bills. Not that they don't do the Buskers' stage justice but seeing them in a smaller & more intimate space, allowing for roaming amongst the crowd, along with the bonus of a longer set time, seemed to show them in their most natural light. Tight as ever you'd not have thought they were easing in a temporary drummer.

Having missed new act Bright Notes at the very start of the night things had been kicked off for me by a third viewing of the Joyce Delaney show in 2016. This year's been a bad one in many ways but the Glasgow trio certainly let you know all about how they personally have been messed about by the passing of the last 12 months, all the time laughing it off and being certain that 2017 will be better as they'll make it so. Yet again it proved impossible to disagree with them.

As small venues go, The Banshee Labyrinth in Edinburgh must be up there with the best of them. Such a tiny place managed to pack in a decent crowd of 100+ to celebrate the launch of The Spook School's second album Try To Be Hopeful, on a Monday night no less.

The four piece, three of whom look like they should still be at school, made every effort to ward off the ghosts that are reported to stalk the lower depths of The Banshee. Playing a 12 song set of high energy indie/punk it wasn’t long before the crowd was swaying along in time to the tunes. This was the first gig of a mini UK tour that will surely improve once the opening bars to their Taylor Swift cover are fully remembered.

Deploying a confetti cannon at the start of the set and fitting in 'Burn Masculinity', 'Binary', 'I'll Be Honest' all at an infectious pace it was clear to see they have a good deal more live experience as, from the first bar of their set, there was a tightness not heard from support acts No Ditching and Breakfast Muff.

No Ditching, from Durham, all looked slightly startled standing on stage but still provided a decent set of heavy indie, with the unusual inclusion in their ranks of a marching band snare drummer. However, their vocals lacked a cutting edge that may be more down to the Banshee’s mix than anything else. Certainly ones to watch for future material.

Late additions, Breakfast Muff, from Glasgow played musical instruments in more ways than one as they swapped places throughout their set. Reminding me of early Bis and also X-Ray Specs their whimsical lyrics about cats and exes raised a smile and they'd a good line in self-deprecating banter (indeed all three bands interacted far better with the crowd than most acts I've seen this year).

The UK indie scene is still cranking out good and influential bands and one if not all three here will go on to bigger and better venues for sure.

Further tour details for The Spook School can be found here.

Try To Be Hopeful is released on Fortuna POP! and is available from amazon & iTunes.