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ChrisC did point out that, so far this year, we've spent approximately 25% of our evenings at the Lexington. I don't think this is sustainable :) (Edit: the 25% isn't even true any more, because it's taken me so long to finish writing this.)

After pies in the Lexington's main bar (served bizarrely balanced on a pile of mash) we made it upstairs in time to be nicely ensconced when Mystified came on stage. I'd never heard of them, and they turned out to be an impressive three-piece

Filling time while the bassist changed a broken string, the singer introduced herself as half French, half Venezuelan (apparently she gets a lot of questions about her accent. The drummer is a New Zealand-London hybrid. The bassist was back in record time to admit that he was "just French".

Somehow it didn't surprise me. The singer, in particular, plays the sort of eleven-fingered screaming guitar that I just don't think you see very often from women in the UK. Overall, they're a bit metal-y and a bit psych-y and a bit punk-y, and pretty good value as a support.

Try it: Lick It

I was really looking forward to Saint Agnes after a bit of YouTube research, and they turned out to be even better than expected. They're a four piece band playing the sort of filthy blues rock that would probably appeal to White Stripes fans.

The vocals are shared between the two frontpeople (a boy-girl combo, always a winner in my book). They both play guitar, she also does keyboards. He produces a harmonica occasionally (and I've not heard anyone play that well since I was at a folk club last year and Rory Mcleod produced "ma moothie" from a pocket and pretended to be a train).

Sometimes when you watch a band you just wonder why it is that they're not bigger, and Saint Agnes fall into that group. They've got the songs, they've got the stage presence, and they play like they're already on a massive stage. Go and see them.

Try it: Old Bone Rattleor Road House Blues

I decided I was too lazy to go downstairs to the Lexington's proper bar with handpumps, and instead bought a bottle in the venue. Note to self: stop drinking American IPA. It isn't very nice.

By the time Cold in Berlin came on stage, it was obvious that a lot of people had, in fact, been in it for Saint Agnes anyway. Having only seen Cold in Berlin playing in a big room at WGW before, they seemed strangely diminished in a pub room with a small crowd.

They also seemed to play a strange set. I'd say I know their three albums pretty well, but recognised remarkably little of the material... I'm wondering if they go for the Patti Smith approach of not performing carbon copies of their recorded output.

They're still a compelling act, with the singer's voice - sweeping from clear notes to screaming and back - still their biggest asset. They asked for the stage lights off, and the singer jumped down into the room on a long wire, taking her own weird, angular form of dancing into the crowd.

I'm less surprised Cold in Berlin aren't big. Although they can be brilliant, it's an off-beat, gothy brilliance of frightening lyrics over sparse backing. And this time they were just blown off the stage by Saint Agnes.

Try it: White Horse(which they didn't play. Contains swearing.)