An antique lamp placed daintily upon a battered piano transforms the stage and takes us back to the days when old war veterans smoked pipes in their locals. Tonight should be all about headliners Lights. Action! here at The Sugarmill, but it’s not. The two local support acts The People Involved and Everything On Red have certainly stolen the show.

Combining UK and US talent, Lights.Action! look kind of wrong with half the band oozing Kings Of Leon’s indie style and the other half leaning towards emo-rockers Attack! Attack! but they sure are serious about creating catchy and melodic rock ballads. Despite only 100 tickets sold for tonight’s gig, headliners Lights.Action! forced a response from local supporters with a fantastic cover of Sam Sparro’s ‘Black and Gold’. It even surpasses Guillemot’s Live Lounge attempt.

Kicking off the show are local boys The People Involved. “We’re open to streakers…anything to liven things up a little”, laughs lead vocalist Seth Fullbrook, before they launch into an intensely powerful and progressive show. The passion this quartet have for their music is thrown out into the crowd with every hit of drummer Benji’s stick. Soulful and soaring, this band has everything to make commercial success.

Stoke’s favourite fairground punks Everything On Red follow up with a fast-paced, energetic set that could put five year olds at Disneyland to shame. Ranging from Enter Shikari to At The Drive In to, dare I say it, Scouting For Girls, these boys even managed to get a few people dancing to EP tracks ‘Neveroddoreven’ and ‘Take The Plunge’. The foursome Alex, James, Sam and Tom, especially Tom, are having a whale of a time. They play a tight show with offbeats galore, punchy vocals and the entertainment factor worthy of a summer festival stage. And yes, they’re all wearing red.

Check out the bands below: