The original concept of the independent record label is pretty much a dying breed. Thank goodness for Club AC30 then, and their no-compromise approach to putting out some of the best underground music around. They've managed to launch and sustain a highly innovative club night over a similar period of time, amidst the capital's trend-centric hangers-on. Impressive stuff, and judging by the turn out this evening things don't look like slowing down just yet.

Which is just as well, because openers The Domino State could well be one of those bands headlining an event like this before long. The London-based five-piece, born from the ashes of At The Lake at the start of last year, mix grandiose pop sensibilities a la Puressence with the surging melodies of The Chameleons or Adorable, and in the twin guitars of Tim Buckland and James Machin have an array of sounds which veer between stadium-sized anthems (forthcoming single 'What's The Question?') and ethereal soundscapes ('Pillow Song' and the closing 'Safe Now'). Its almost like Editors if they grew an extra pair of balls and invested in a rack of Boss FX pedals rather than Chris Martin's old songbook.

With such a blistering start, things would normally only go downhill from here. Not tonight though. Granted, there's a slight muddiness with the sound during the first two songs of Exit Calm's (pictured) set, but a few words from guitarist Rob Marshall in the ear of the sound technician rectifies that in an instant as what follows next is simply electrifying. Aided and abetted at different points tonight by the Jools Holland of shoegaze, Ulrich Schnauss, Exit Calm don't just make the sound of a thousand high rise blocks tumbling down, they also exhibit a Godzilla-like presence on the tiny stage that sets them apart from pretty much any other band on the planet.

Although the undoubted centrepiece of their wares belongs to Marshall's sky-scraping guitar sounds, vocalist Nicky Smith is the living embodiment of their lyrics, living and breathing every sentence as the likes of 'Don't Look Down' and 'We're On Our Own' rise and disintegrate like shooting stars at midnight. Ignore the detractors who accuse them of sounding too close to some of their influences for comfort; Exit Calm are so far out in front of the rest of the competition at present it's frightening. In fact, you can almost imagine bands forming in their wake as we speak.

For Long-View, tonight is supposed to represent the point where they finally get their career back on track. Having been hotly tipped many moons ago as one of the bands to break through on the back of the Coldplay-led epic rock brigade at the turn of the century, things went a little, well, quiet for the softly-spoken Mancunians and they promptly disappeared from the limelight. Not helped by record company wrangles culminating in them releasing their best-known song 'Further' three times to fulfil contractual obligations, the only way back for them really was by way of a facelift which pretty much involved them starting from scratch all over again.

Enter one Ulrich Schnauss, as well as a newly hyphenated moniker, and bingo: the second coming of Long-View is complete... Well, not quite.

Although Rob McVey is as commanding a frontman as any self-aware leader should be this side of Bono at least, one can't help feeling that he and his band are somewhat out of place with the other bands on the line-up and indeed the Club AC30 ethos as a whole, particularly in terms of their music. Still obviously haunted by the past, as is evident by the number of times McVey references the likes of Danny McNamara and Guy Garvey between songs, they play for over an hour, most of which is new material off their soon to be released follow-up to 2003's Mercury without really making any discernible impression. If points were given out for musical ability then Long-View would undoubtedly be top of the class, but compared to the two acts that have gone before they are a long way behind when it comes to delivering the unexpected, taking the odd risk or two and generally creating something entirely out of the ordinary.

When Exit Calm guitarist Rob Marshall is introduced on stage during the final encore to contribute his own improvised take on the aforementioned 'Further', the gulf in class between both parties speaks volumes, not to mention the fact Long-View are still reliant on that one song.

What tonight has demonstrated however is that British guitar-based rock music is in a healthy state, as this evening was all about the future usurping the past in one foul swoop.