ARMED only with guitars and soul-searching lyrics, the pale disciples of acoustic music are fighting the good fight, not only against pre-packaged teen bands but an image that says they are hairy folkies, dripping sentimental tears into broken banjos.
In fact , acoustic performers are talented, angry musicians who can captivate an audience with a whisper. All ages genders and sizes come to hear edgy songs delivered from the heart in Islington's acoustic nerve centres - The Hope and Anchor in Upper Street and Moriarty's in Liverpool Road - where promoters Marc Johnson and David Sherwood marshal their troops of singer-songwriters.
Johnson and Sherwood, both musicians and songwriters themselves, are clearly passionate about music. They share a common vision for their venues, collaborating rather than competing, and, like all good collaborators, build on each others ideas and enthusiasms, finishing off each other's sentances in a conversational jam session.
"The clubs are about getting songs across, rather than an image," says Johnson.
"In a small club, the key is to bring the volume down to understand the song..."
"and to strip it back," says Sherwood.
"A good song will be good whatever you do to it."
Johnson, who lives in Upper Street, used to run The purple Turtle open mic slot and has been promoting Big Note acoustic gigs at the Hope and Anchor for two and a half years. Its a perfect partnership - venue and promoter still proudly wearing the anarchy badges of their heritage.
"My inspiration was punk which had a real songwriting ethos," he says. "It was supposed to be anti-songwriting, but actually it was very powerful. Now there is a revival of live music - people like being entertained bymaking music. We get students sitting on the floor with their bottles of Becks, open mouthed because someone is singing their heart out to them."
Sherwood has been at Moriarty's for a year and a half, and branched out into promoting after gigging at the Music Cafe in the London Bridge area.
"I used to think the Clash were just a lot of noise," he recalls, "but afterwards Irealised the harmonies were very inspirational. What i like about the acoustic scene is that the performers have to be good. Then the audiences will respect the fact that you're exposing yourself emotionally."
One of the first acts to shove the word "unplugged" into ciculation was Eric Clapton and the tradition is continuing today by artists like David Grey and Beth Orton.
The demand for this antidote for pop is clear - gig nights are always packed and there is no end of musicians from around the globe eager to play, seemingly in defiance of dance and club culture.
"The dance scene crippled the live scene and many venues shut down," says Johnson. "But now there are a lot of people who are into both because of the oppositeness of the acoustic scene and the intimacy of the performances."
But acoustic music is not promoted by Luddites who fear technological change. both venues have lively websites, and Moriarty's gigs can even be downloaded.
The technology, however, generally stops at the web and tends not to invade the stage. Drum machines and electronic pianos do not sit well in venues where the emotion is as bare as the brickwork.
It seems that Islington's acoustic music scene has a future as bright as its lyrics are dark. "The clubs are increasing with new audiences all the time," says Johnson.
Now if they could only unplug Westlife...

Piers Eady - Highbury and Islington Express - Dec 15 2000