Tonight’s gig showcases three completely different faces of punk, and it’s testament to the line-up that no-one stepped on anyone else’s stylistic shoes and everyone came out a winner. Cocaine Cowboys kick off the night with some old school pub punk. It’s the kind of stereotypical punk that everyone pictures when you say “we’re a punk band” – stunted, lumpen, foul mouthed (“Date Rape is good for you, apparently” anyone?) and bludgeoning, barely a properly played chord or in-tune guitar all set. But that’s the point – Cocaine Cowboys aren’t clever, but they are big and they know it. Sheer volume, bawling vocals and the whole thing’s over in 4 or 5 songs, barely 20 minutes. Just the right dose.

Half Naked, on the other hand, are the complete inverse – they’re not big but they’re very, very clever. Whereas Cocaine Cowboys have the Guantanamo jumpsuits and ragged jeans, Half Naked are preppy, buttoned-up check shirts and smart haircuts with their WAGs in prom dresses down the front, looking a bit scared by what’s going on behind them. They start off a little slow, sounding like a teenage Less Than Jake tribute act, but after two or three songs they suddenly have the entire audience at the front and by halfway through they’ve got a mosh pit going. That’s the perfect time to play a song in 5/4 and 6/8, obviously. Somehow they pull that off without sounding smug and carry on with a set of increasing complexity, smart changeups, nimble guitar lines, the occasional punk beat down and even a couple of solos. By the time they finish, the audience has swelled even further and they come off to a rapturous reception. Brilliant stuff, it’s a much more commercial sound than anything else tonight, but that’s no criticism – they’re definitely ones to watch.

So, Daisy E And The Unsteadies had a hard act to follow (guitarist Forkna even admitted with a wry smile that they hate playing with Half Naked for exactly that reason). But it’s their EP launch night and they can do no wrong: the audience suddenly doubles in size, and the Wheaty is packed from front to back. The Unsteadies are a pretty straight up ska punk band, unusual in that they eschew traditional punk wisdom and deploy two crystal clean guitars playing simple, hooky, scratchy chords, rounded out with bouncy bass and punctuated by rasping trumpets. Daisy herself, looking dapper as a 50’s dollybird, leads the band through their new EP, a couple of choice covers including an inspired ‘My Boy Lollipop’ and generally just keeps the party and the mosh pit going to the end. They may not have the technical fanciness of Half Naked but they know how to get the crowd going and it’s a joyous, quick-fire set, everyone, band and audience alike, coming away sweaty and sated. A great night, and probably my gig of the year so far.