Cloud Control

While the panoramic views of the Blue Mountains are probably the last place you'd expect to find a psychedelic musical revolution occurring, that's exactly what local inhabitants Cloud Control are striving to achieve. Having formed nearly five years ago back in their native state, they probably thought the opportunity of anyone hearing their music outside of their own locality had long since passed. However, thanks to the power of something called the Internet and numerous online blogs, widespread recognition beckons.

None more so than over here in the UK, where the now London-based Cloud Control are currently (re)located. While comparisons with fellow antipodean exports The Temper Trap are inevitable, Cloud Control are part of a new broom sweeping across Australia's occasionally barren music scene alongside kindred spirits Tame Impala and The Jezebels. While musical similarities between all three are few and far between, there's no doubt that each shares a common love of ephemeral 1960s themed nostalgia coupled with the post punk opulence of The Cure and Talking Heads exquisite pop charm. Whereas the other two err more towards replicating the former and latter respectively, Cloud Control possess a healthy concoction of all of the above and more besides.

The four-piece - singing guitarist Alister Wright, bass player Jeremy Kelshaw and brother & sister duo Ulrich (drums) and Heidi (vocals & keyboards) Lenffer, ooze with a passion and enthusiasm so lacking with many career-obsessed opportunist bands at present. Even though some of the songs in tonight's set are three years old, there's a refreshing energy omnipresent throughout their forty-five minute performance.

Sure, at times they veer into marginal periods of self-indulgence ('The Rolling Stones', 'My Fear #1') but for the most part Cloud Control's diligent, seemingly improvisational schtick proves impossible to dislike, despite playing to little more than a surprisingly half full Bodega.

Opener 'Meditation Song' outweirds Animal Collective while providing more twists and turns than the A6 between Buxton and Stockport. Meanwhile, 'Gold Canary' and 'There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight' combine deft harmonies between all four band members a la Yeasayer with catchy melodies and insightful lyrics a youthful David Byrne would be proud of. Even the oldest compositions aired this evening, 2008's 'Death Cloud' and 'Into The Line' both sound remarkably current and relevant, recalling Black Kids exuberance but with more depth.

With debut long player Bliss Release finally hitting UK stores next month and a host of festival appearances planned for the summer, the potential is there for Cloud Control's growing band of admirers to increase profusely by the bucketload.