Originally started as an ‘art college project’ (ie ‘skive’) in late 2006, Futuristic Retro Champions have sprouted arms, legs, wonky keyboards and a barrowload of bona fide electro-indie-pop crackers over the last year. The Edinburgh six-piece have also quickly evolved into a live act of some quality – even sans the bloke responsible for ‘synth and shouting loudly’ on this occasion, they had ABC2 reeling merrily to their very own candy coated disco ramalama.

Their sound is that of the wistful pop of Belle & Sebastian super-charged by a processed-beats driven turbo dance thing ala Bis. ‘Jenna’ tells the tale of that ubiquitous last girl on the dance floor to a skipping ‘lectro jive; ‘Oh My God’ is unrequited love at 200bpm; chiming slowie ‘Isn’t It Lovely’ adds a dewy eyed edge without letting the fun ebb away.

Best of all, FRCs have an uncanny knack of making every song sound like the very soundtrack to the first strains of a summer’s Friday evening. That, and the fact that they’ve got a crowd-invading trumpet player in skin-tight lemon trousers – you just don’t see enough of them. (Malcolm Jack)