It turns out that there is something of an alternative scene here after all! This was a free thing with a few local groups.
The first group, Madkaps, were described as "pop punk melodik". They were pretty good; energetic, fun, but heavier than I was expecting. They had a female vocalist and they seemed to mainly sing in English. I didn't get a good look at them as I was playing pool upstairs for most of their set.
The second group, Cross Damage, were described as "hardcore metal". To give you a general idea of what they were like, one of my friends, a Smiths fan, claimed that it was "frightening"! Personally I found them to be more melodic than most groups of this genre that I have been exposed to. I went down to where they were playing for a bit, and they seemed pretty good; all guys, and typical metal vocals.
By the time the final group, Noïd, came on, my friends had all already gone, and I myself only stayed to hear a few songs. They were described as "rockin' metal". They were similar to Cross Damage, but not quite as doomy! They seemed to be quite popular as more people appeared when they started playing, and some (including one of my lycée students!) even seemed to know some of the songs.
So all in all a pretty good night :)
