Still not entirely sure why but reallyrather found itself down at the Borderline amid a sea (make that pond) of US college babes to witness Phantom Planet's first headline show outside of the States. In just about one sense only they could be thought of as a kind of Californian Strokes, in that they're comprised of middle-class white kids from comfortable homes. The drummer Jason Schwartzman's a fledgling film star, for goodness sake - great in Rushmore and to be seen here next month in the rather less promising Slackers ("a discordant comedy that gives bad taste a bad name" - SanFran Chronicle). If anyone in Hollywood's kicking around The Keith Moon Story, Jason's your man, physically and musically a ringer. The band try, really really try to do the whole smiley rock'n'roll thing, with guitarist Jacques an unconvincing goofer-off-in-chief. Shapes (and drinks) are thrown, equipment is theatrically (ie not really) abused but their efforts to whip up some edgy excitement were undermined somewhat by at least one band member's conspicuously flourescent earplugs. They do have a few decent numbers, however, and the whole thing's a lot more compelling live than on record. And lead singer Alex is a decent frontman, looking and sounding like a cross between Kelly Jones and Gaz Coombes (and if one were to sit on the other's shoulders they'd be about the same height as well). But even this guy, hitherto semi-detached from the stick-on rock'n'roll antics going on around him, couldn't finally resist reaching up to the rigging and swinging monkey-style across to the back of a largely bemused, two-thirds full, room...

Happily, David Bazan is unlikely ever to feel such an urge. The battle of the Seattle indie-pop melancholics is now joined with the release of the new Pedro the Lion, Control. On an early showing, the big cat quickly gets reallyrather's vote over Damien Jurado's nice-sounding but hardly pulse-quickening I break chairs. If you're going to rock, rock...

Another bunch of incorrigible thigh-slapping hearties, Knife In the Water put out a new 5-track EP Crosspross bells, next week: "Bleak Texas pop and country creating the perfect soundtrack for downing a fifth of bourbon alone in your car, parked outside your ex's house in the dead of winter. You also may or may not be loading a gun," says one review. The party starts right here...