The Horrors

As opening acts go, London based Japanese noise merchants Bo Ningen are a wake up call from hell. Sounding somewhere in between the thrashy go lucky destruction of Melt Banana and repetitive eeriness of Main, their propensity to become louder and more shambolic with every note splits the room in two. Some believe it to be the musical equivalent of manna from heaven, others scurry to the bar or worse, out into the rain for comfort. Uncompromising as it gets, the adverse reactions to their presence on the bill more about the diverse crowd The Horrors attract these days than any negative aspect of the band's performance. DiS spots them loitering around the back of the room for the rest of the evening, probably hunting down any detractors as we speak. Be wary.

In recent months, Toy have become something of a perennial support act for tonight's headliners. After approximately ninety seconds of opener 'Bright White Shimmering Sun', it's easy to see why. Gone are the nervously appropriated stances that seemed to characterise their live sets of yore. Now replaced by a more confident, self-assured approach that justifies the praise heaped on them - perhaps somewhat unfairly - during their embryonic stage. While debut single 'Left Myself Behind' is still their best song; its lysergic mix of interchangeable guitars and swirling keys proving cataclysmic despite it being tossed away so early in the set, it's the newer material aired this evening that offers real hope for the future. One untitled new one reminds us of Hawkwind, albeit quaffing designer drugs rather than overbaked hash and LSD cocktails. Another newie 'Dead And Gone' ups the ante even further, suggesting this could be their Bad Moon Rising moment in a Sonic Youth rather than Creedence Clearwater kinda way. Although somewhat assisted by the crystalline sound, they're a revelation, and on this form destined to be topping the bill in venues such as this soon.

For The Horrors, their relentless tour schedule, in conjunction with the release last summer of album number three Skying, shows no signs of abating just yet. The week long sojourn of UK shows they're currently embarking on acting as a precursor to a full-on festival season which will have seen them touring for nigh on eighteen months by the time San Sebastian's Kutxa Kultur event completes their schedule in September. It's little surprise then that tonight's set consists entirely of material from Skying and its predecessor Primary Colours, with no hint at this stage of any new compositions.

Not that the majority of those assembled among the near sold out HMV sponsored Institute care a jot. When Faris Badwan and co. take to the stage their greeted with incessant screams such as those akin to a boy band, something that is entirely unexpected and several thousands of miles away from the shoegaze inspired krautrock they so expertly purvey. One punter even shouts for 'Count In Fives', a distant reminder of their past quite rightly dispatched to the back of the closet these days. 'Mirror's Image' and 'Who Can Say' lead the way this evening, Josh Hayward's array of weird and wonderful pedal infused guitar interludes bringing those Kevin Shields comparisons to the fore once more, Badwan's retort of "Maybe it's better off this way" perhaps something the aforementioned Strange House fanatic should pay attention to.

While the likes of 'Endless Blue' and 'Still Life' have emerged as live favourites these past months, undoubtedly the most prominent cuts from a record brimming with mesmerising quality, the lesser feted likes of 'Wild Eyed' and 'Monica Gems' make a welcome, rare appearance tonight. While the former's slow dance shuffle links the similarly entwined 'Scarlet Fields' and 'Endless Blue' together, the latter's powerchord heavy dramatics make for a pleasantly surprising departure of sorts. 'You Said', another of Skying's rarely aired gems introduces the encore before a mammoth ten minutes long run through of 'Moving Further Away' brings the final curtain down.

In many ways, business as usual, but when that entails a set so perfectly executed as this, what better recommendation could anybody want? Roll on 2013 and (hopefully) album number four...