stellastarr* / Editors - Carrboro, NC

Carrboro is an odd little town. In the heart of conservative North Carolina, it stands almost alone as a bubble of protest, a haven for those either recovering from the 1960s, or those wishing for those halcyon days to return. Its biggest store is a co-operative supermarket that sells organic food and local produce. The town has its own anthem and even a local currency separate from the dollar. A Republican car sticker is as rare as hen's teeth (and free-range hens at that).

The Cat's Cradle is Carrboro's premier music venue, pulling in the college crowd from nearby UNC-Chapel Hill (a mere ten minute walk away). While it's not huge, it tends to draw bands from far and wide, and can lay claim to many a musical milestone, including one of REM's first concerts outside of Georgia.

So it's here that we find the unlikely combination of Editors and stellastarr* on their joint US tour. Tonight, Editors took to the stage first, ready to impress the audience with their British ways. And they really are British, as you'd be hard pressed to distinguish their sound from fifteen or so bands currently doing the rounds back in the UK. Which is not to say that they're bad, not at all, but after a while, the same reheated post-punk shenanigans gets a little dull. Their debut album, The Back Room, has only just been released in America, so the set is built around that, sprinkling in a few b-sides and even a new song. The highlight of the set is "Bullets," a punchy rock epic that recalls Doves, Mansun, and more worryingly, early U2. Indeed, singer Tom Smith's rock poses betray a desire to be somewhere bigger than the small Cradle; his eyes are focused on the stadiums in their future.

Stellastarr*, on the other hand, may not be seeing stadiums any time soon, but with the aplomb that they rip into "No Weather," they seem quite content with where they are right now. The Anglophile crowd has thinned out somewhat for their performance, but the band's Robert Smith-esque New wave stylings soon gets them jumping again. (In case you're wondering, the meaning of the asterisk remains a mystery, but once again, it's plastered to drummer Arthur Kremer chest. The set is roughly split between their first, eponymous, album, and current release Harmonies For The Haunted, with the earlier material getting the most response from the audience, especially towards the end of the concert; "Jenny," "My Coco," and "Pulp Song" being particular favourites. Their performance was slightly marred by a recurring problem with bassist Amanda Tanner's microphone, which resulted in some jarring feedback, and at the same time shows how much they tend to rely on her backing vocals to spice up their songs. But it wasn't too bad, and of the two groups, stellastarr* did indeed deserve the headlining slot.