It's been a while since I last took in one of Stiff Promotions popular Acoustix nights, but I thought it was about time I braved the ever colder evenings and popped down to the Cellars to see what was what. With four acts on the bill there was bound to be a lot of variety. Ian Scarbro was first to take the stage. Recently moving down here to Portsmouth from "somewhere up north", his plaintive, emotional balladry served as a great warm up for the audience. With a haunting voice and some excellent songs, this young man will be worth keeping an eye on. Guide award nominee James Tippins was next up, showcasing his upbeat acoustic tunes and I must say, for someone who has only been performing solo for less than a year (Tippins used to be a drummer) he displayed a huge amount of confidence and an easygoing attitude that played well with this audience. The Elements have been around for a while and that experience shows, their stripped back, acoustic indie rock performed with consummate polish and their casual camaraderie and charisma coming off well. Last up were Loose Tongue, vacating their normal, large scale approach (their drummer was sat in the audience) they played a great set despite their bass player mangling his instrument before they went on and being forced to play a hastily loaned guitar instead. Four acts, each different, but all entertaining… a great night out!

It promises to be an atmospheric evenings entertainment her at the Cellars, Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds with their dark folk supported by the off-kilter views of The B Of The Bang and our first act of the evening, Loz Bridge and the Box Social. I've voiced my feelings on Bridge and his merry men on more than one occasion already and they don't disappoint tonight, their brooding tunes soaring over the audience, plunging them into the depths of Bridge's psyche. The balance between the epic beauty of Sarah And The Wolves and the down and dirty blues of China serves to highlight the versatility of these guys. Next up, The B of the Bang, causing confusion as Andy Foster, guitarist in the box social and very well known performer in his own right) reappears here on bass, does the lad ever have a night off? You never know quite what you'll get from these guys, but tonight we're treated to some epic rock, especially the gorgeous 'Alaska', ebbing and swirling before building to a stunning crescendo! Then we get to the headliners. Lupen and his Murderbirds have a unique sound, traditional folk melded to a worldview (and lyrics) somewhere between Thom Yorke and Nick Cave. These guys are certainly macabre, but their energy and passion seems to feed from the audience's response, building to almost manic levels, you almost feel they'll leap from the stage and cause carnage at any second, but instead they just release another twisted sea shanty with a perverse world view… brilliant!

With a packed bill to match the packed venue the night was kicked off by Manti. Their blend of influences, from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin, mixes and forms into some truly Classic Rock. Lead singer David McClean is a mesmerising frontman and it's shocking to see such a huge voice emerge from this little guy. His guitar playing is superb too, in fact the band are impressive musicians throughout and they have some superb songs too!

The Lonely Cardinals are up next, and they play loud! Their fuzzy, heavy blues rock reminds me instantly of The Black Keys and their ferocious attack on the music is garage rock at it's finest. The likes of 'Beat Up Woman' and 'I Will' are classically themed Blues that have been thrown through the punk blender and mixed back together for a ferocious musical assault!

Loose Tongue take to the stage now and their melting pot of influences bubbles over into some great songs. Lead singer Ash's vocals and his use of melodies and lyrical subtlety reminds immediately of Crowded House, though these guys play a little heavier. In fact drummer Rich Marsh's ferocious thrashing and lead guitarist John Deacon's roaring solos are almost from another band entirely. Somehow though these guys blend it all together in a way that really works. 'See It Strange' and 'Simple Truth' are particularly engaging tonight.

Last, but not least, The Chemists take to the stage. These guys are about to go on tour with Feeder and immediately it's clear why. Their tunes are loud, but they never lose sight of the need to keep the songs catchy and engaging. In fact the energy that they throw into their stage performance is mesmerising and strangely addictive. Before long feet are tapping throughout the venue and the bands singer is off the stage and dancing about in the audience. Superb stuff and everyone leaves smiling… what more can you ask for?

Most of the time, when I go to see a gig, I like to have an idea of what I'm getting myself into, but on occasion it can be good fun to turn up blind. That's certainly what happened when I turned up, soaked to the skin, to The Cellars on a wet Friday night. I had an idea what the headliners might be like, but really I was going in cold.

First up were SheGotSick, possibly the most energetic duo ever to grace the stage, dancing about and thrashing away to their iPod accompaniment, creating a slightly strange but very interesting hip-hop/electro pop hybrid that I really enjoyed. These guys are worth keeping an eye on, they kept the audience interest here and I think, put on in a club like Waster, they'd blow people away!

Next up were a band who I'm ashamed to say I'd never seen live. I knew a lot about Hold Fast, they're undoubtedly one of the best known bands in the area and come with a fearsome live reputation. Here they played an acoustic set, calming the audience down after the preceding maelstrom, but though their songs may have been a little slower and their sound a little quieter, they lacked none of SheGotSick's intensity, rather they played with a power and punch that belied their acoustic set up. In particular lead singer Roberta's vocals, impressive on record, were mesmerising in the live environment.

Well and truly warmed up (and thankfully now dry), the audience were ready for Rosie and The Goldbug. The sight of Rosie, clad in sequinned hotpants, and her bandmates was enough to capture the attention of everyone in the venue, but when they started to play they had everyone eating out of their hands. Rosie herself, a mesmerising mix of Debbie Harry and Kate Bush (I know, it sounds strange, but trust me it's worth seeing for yourself), fronted the band with consummate ease and grace, this young lady has star presence to spare. The Goldbug, in actuality drummer Plums and bass player Pixie (better known to friends as Sarah Morgan and Lee Matthews respectively), fed the fire with a ferocious rhythm, she banging the drums with a fury that seemed to come from nowhere such was the calm on her face, while he strummed and plucked at his bass building funk rhythms and spiky new wave beats for Rosie's keys to glide over effortlessly. For the sumptuous Lover alone they deserved their applause, but there wasn't a poor song in the set. If the world is a sane place, these guys will be topping the charts before too long!