It was after midnight on Friday night, and Ece Özey, the young female lead singer of indie band Softa, was taking to the stage at Peyote, dressed in Adidas shoes and scarlet tartan trousers. The four-piece's driving guitar chords and shouty lyrics betrayed the influence of punk, but this was more than a slice of transported foreign culture. Özey was singing the band's own material in Turkish to an appreciative, nodding semi-circle of fans.
Indie music is a new development in Turkey. Over the last decade the clubbing scene has grown, with glitzy clubs along the Bosphorus gaining attention. But only in recent years have venues sprung up that allow groups to play their own music. The internet has exposed young Turks to western musical influences, resulting in a glut of local bands mixing foreign instrumental cues with Turkish lyrics. This scene has barely been penetrated by British tourists, but for the indie kid in town, interested in the Turkish take on riffs and rock, it is worth seeking out.
Beyoglu, the former European quarter to the north of the Golden Horn inlet of the Bosphorus, is home to much of Istanbul's best nightlife, including the rock bars. Peyote (Kameriye Sokak 4, Balikpazari, +90 212 251 43 98) – a three-floored venue close to the fish market in Beyoglu, on the European side of the Bosphorus – is the hub of the rock scene, hosting a diverse range of bands, from punk acts to She Past Away, a goth outfit whom I saw warm up for Softa in the ground floor bar. Turkish crowds do not go wild in the mosh pit, but the venue attracts a certain type of alternative hipster. As well as Peyote, there's Dogzstar (Kartal Sokak No:3 Kat:3, Galatasaray, +90 212 244 91 47), a venue hidden at the top of a flight of drab stairs. Inside is more glam than out, with gilt mirrors and leather sofas. Tickets are not sold in advance, punters just pay on the door.
Watching a local outfit called Deff play Dogzstar showed me the mixture of local and foreign inspiration that is shaping the sound of the city. Visually, the four young musicians had borrowed heavily from Britpop – the drummer even wore a Union Jack T-shirt.
There is another outpost of Istanbul indie in Kadıköy, a district on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara. Here Kadife Sokak was once popular with metal fans – and the road is still lined with piercing and tattoo parlours. But "Bar Street" is now following the indie trend. The best of the venues is Arka Oda (Kadife Sokak, No:18/A, Kadiköy, +90 216 418 0277). The interior is all antique radios, tasselled lampshades and other ironic chintz, but it is the ability of the management to bring in acts such as David Brown of the band Brazzaville that has tempted the indie aficionados of the European side of Istanbul over the water to the other side of the city, on another continent.
• Band Info: Post Dial, Softa, She Past Away, Deff. EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Istanbul from Gatwick and Luton. Anemon Galata Hotel (+90 212 293 23 43) has double rooms from around €117 per night.
