Frontiers EP launchThe Running HorseThursday 30th October

Sometimes NCT buses do you massive favours. As This City misses an improbably early 6.52 and is left stranded waiting for the no-show that is the 7.22, we get the feeling they could be trying to tell us something. As it is, a hatless, gloveless, scarfless hour in the near Baltic conditions (I jest not) of Netherfield High Street are no match for the sub-Bowling for Soup dirge that is Ethan James and the Soggy Biscuits, and so our unreserved thanks go to Nottingham's typically inept, yet practically Nostradamical, bus company for what must have been foresight of almost epic proportions.

Cosmonaut take to the stage and, much to the room's collective relief, they're a vast improvement. Sure, the laddish Britpop-revival may be a path well-trodden, but Cosmonaut do it nicely, with a well-placed swagger and enough tunes to maintain interest for their short set. Their brand of Ocean Colour Scene-esque rock psychedelia may, at times, tip its hat too often to obvious influences but it's a formula that's difficult to argue with, and is perfectly at home in a setting like the Runner.

Main support for the night comes courtesy of Dirty Hands, yet in what way they're meant to support tonight's headliners remains to be seen - the jury's still out on whether curiously be-fringed lead singer Sam was drunk, high or, for half-an-hour at least, a sufferer of some sort of cruel motor neurone damage, and while their aggressive stageshow isn't for want of enthusiasm, it does take a little getting used to. Struggling with a PA that would test even the best of bands, their usual fiery punk-funk is somewhat subdued and their set goes by almost unnoticed, drowned out by an increasingly impatient crowd.

Off the back of their latest EP gaining region-wide airplay courtesy of The Beeb's Dean Jackson, it's no surprise the Runner's near bursting point by the time local trailblazers Frontiers begin their set. Opener 'Send the Night Away' sets the tone for the majority of their set, with their sophomore effort highlighting a growth and maturity that recalls the mixed-bag of influences (think a spontaneous Jackson Browne/JJ72/Delays barfly collaboration) that earlier eluded them in the studio. Having a handful of new tunes to play with means that, where their earlier gigs were brief, ramshackle affairs, their set is now more cohesive and developed than ever before, with the newer likes of 'If You Think...' and 'On the Mend' perfectly complementing the more upbeat highlights of 'Frontiers' and 'Argument...'. Closing with live staple and fan favourite 'Familiar Faces' only to briefly return for a cover of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me', Frontiers leave with another couple of dozen fans, safe in the knowledge of another successful night.

Frontiers played:

• Send the Night Away
• Frontiers
• If You Think You Know Me
• Argument Fuelled by the Barman
• Shadowplay
• On the Mend
• In Pursuit
• Familiar Faces
• You Really Got Me

www.myspace.com/frontiersofficial