THE O2 academy housed the return of Equitruck on January 15- an all day music event showcasing some of Oxford’s most promising bands, and giving a taster of some of the talent that will be playing later this year at Truck 13.

The first band to really impress were Dead Jerichos, bringing the crowd to life with their energetic live show and danceable indie sound, very reminiscent of former Oxford favourites Foals.

But the night was all about headliners Fixers.

The band have received a lot of attention recently, being championed by the likes of Zane Lowe, their track Iron Deer Dream getting much airplay on Radio 1.

Since the band performed on the BBC introducing stage at T in The Park last year, they have been widely tipped to follow Stornoway as the next big band to emerge from Oxford.

By the time they arrived on stage the room was packed with bodies and a palpable sense of anticipation. And they did not disappoint.

They play dreamy psychedelic pop in the mould of MGMT or Animal Collective, with a charisma and confidence that hides their relative youth on the Oxford gigging circuit.

The songs are centred on strong vocal harmonies in the style of The Beach Boys (who they cite as a major influence), with hazy keyboards and erupting rhythmic guitar.

As a result Fixers are absorbing live, having you dancing one moment, and dead still the next, trapped in a mesmeric daze.

They also have the ability to surprise, their cover of Rihanna's What's My Name being an unexpected highlight of the evening.

Rather than sounding like a gimmicky Live Lounge-esque cover, they managed to turn it into a credible indie track, giving the R'n'b pop a fuzzy electro sheen.

Every song in their set was brilliantly atmospheric and more than justified the hype building around them.

If this performance is anything to go by, Fixers are set to have a very bright 2011.