Pre - the first ever English signing from legendary American noise-rock label, Skin Graft records - are first on. Their small japanese singer, Akiko, takes the stage and says "We are Pre. Up yours!!" then spends the rest of the night screaming into her microphone, and catapulting herself from stage to audience, and then back to stage, and then falling over the drum kit. The rest of the band (that's a drummer, two bassists and one guitarist) play the most deliciously insane racket, whilst jogging on the spot. Together they make a nasty punk noise and fill the room with their complex and unique energy. I picked my jaw up from the floor after they finished, stunned.

Now, in the most professional way, I had been working this day, so when I had the opportunity to drink and chat to friends... I did just that and forgot I had some sort of intention of reviewing this, so my apologies to Eye Hai (who were sounding like Hella gone deep, deep into jazz territory) as I barely viewed any of your performance.

After watching them support Crystal Castles at the new Rough Trade store on Brick Lane, I was really excited to see Health, who took the audience through their majestic alien space-drone noise. Hitting the toms as hard as his arms let him, their drummer lines the floor with tribal blasts whilst one of them dramatically throws themself around the stage with a microphone picking up feedback from amps and directing it painfully through a ring modulator whilst another plays Drum's Not Dead-like effected guitar and chants genderless chants. Although not as good sound-wise as they were at Rough Trade (this could be blamed on the empty sound desk that was behind me) they were still an absolute fucking treat to catch. I advise you check out Health...!

To round up what had already been a stellar line up, or from what I caught of it anyway, there was Dan Deacon to look forward to. Tagged as 'idiot savant' (much to Deacon's frustration) he specialises in making the most danceable and sugarsweet electronic europop sounding synth/iPod shit... Oh and he has his own lightshow. I had already heard of his legendary count-ins to his sets and I really wasn't let down by his performance.

I stood looking curiously as Deacon moved in front of me with a battered table, containing enough electronic gadgets to make pedal loving tech freaks start furiously masturbating. He carefully set up everything, then set up a polystyrene green skull extended on a mic stand and proceeded to set the 'ambience' for the room by removing bulbs from lights dotted around the venue.

He takes the microphone, "I don't know if you guys get Frasier over here... but for this count in I want you all to replace the numbers with characters from that show. So you've got Frasier, the dog, Daphne, Niles, the dad...". Charmed and in hysterics we all shout "FRASIER! THE DOG! DAPHNE! NILES! THE DAD! FRASIER! THE DOG!..." until Deacon punches his iPod and flips the switch for a strobe light to turn on in the green skull. Everyone goes insane. We get treated to more and more of this mad electro stuff that in my head could only soundtrack the best drugged-up Disney moment, but at double the BPM.

It feels like EVERYONE is dancing, smiling and responding to Dan's music and then his questions and jokes. He is a proper showman and it's no better illustrated by the last song where everyone is handed song lyric sheets to sing, which we do, at the top of our lungs, knowing that tonight we were really treated.

Words: Craig Sharp
Photo: Frederico Pellachin