Field Music

The beauty of simplicity is how deceptively complex it can be.

Take Field Music for example: the Sunderland troupe produce divine melodies that flood the ears with luscious swoons of pop splendour. Yet beneath the breathy veneer lies three musical visionaries intricately sewing together a rich tapestry of sound in order to maintain this effortless illusion.

But tonight there’s initially little sign of sonic intellect as the drably dressed group trundle to the stage chatting about Sunderland’s imminent promotion. With their broad accents and chirpy raillery it’s easy to disregard the trio as mere Futurehead cast-offs, but when the first glittering chords of ‘Give It Lose It Take It’ swoosh around the Bongo Club you realise Field Music are so very much more.

Sounding meatier than their brittle recordings suggest, the band are utterly hypnotic as ‘Sit Tight’’s dramatic, matadorial rhythm recalls the unhinged foolery of Alex Harvey frolicking with White Album-era Beatles.

Every one of Tones Of Town’s gorgeous chimes and teasing jingles is meticulously constructed, cascading sumptuously into the swelling multi-layered harmonies of ‘A House Is Not A Home’.

And this is the joy of Field Music; their dexterity is truly compelling. Deft guitar flickers seamlessly develop as voluptuous riffs before meeting a blizzard of jerking percussion or crass ‘80s synths.

There’s really no telling which avenue will be explored next, with straight-laced pop ditties like ‘Closer At Hand’ generating a kaleidoscopic haze that would have Brian Wilson greening around the gills.

Even a momentary interlude to replace a much abused bass pedal fails to halt the glow emitting from this masterful display as ‘She Can Do What She Wants’’ drum-driven sheen melts creamily through the airwaves, drenching the audience in glorious sun-kissed droplets of sound.

Bursting from the knife-edged opus of ‘If Only The Moon Were Up’ into a shuddering psychedelic finale that parallels Animal Collective’s synchronised witchery, Field Music prove, quite simply, why they’re this country’s finest bastions of timeless, jaw-dropping melody.