The Middle East in Cambridge again showed its hand and proclaimed itself King of Clubs with another brilliant showcase. The air may have been cold outside, but inside it was just so damn hot. If you got there early and stayed late, you must be grinning and nodding your head. Yeah.

You might think it'd be hard to create the "wall of sound" effect with just two blokes in your band. Well, it is hard. But Roma pulls it off and did so to open up the show. Scamper took the stage next, to a psyched and sizable crowd ready to rock out like a shocked trout. Rock out indeed. High-flying acrobatics and rug-cutting dancing have always been a staple of Scamper's show, and the guys cut and flew tonight like they meant it. And with everyone singing along, the room just sounded marvelous.

Next was Caged Heat, who delivered a poppier-than-usual set, with Jill's always-impressive harmonica work standing out and giving their songs that bluesy appeal. Closing the night were The Unbusted, a hot band with enough energy to fuel a small village of music scenesters. Their crowd was out in full force, and mixed with the Scamper army that made for a full room on such a weeknight. The Unbusted play good. They look good. They will win you over at their shows. It's hi-fi garage rock and that's what we like around these parts, so expect more shows together with them coming up this year.