Live Review: Big Dead, Ghost Notes, Motion Picture Actress

Swelling orchestral strings give way to crunchy distorted beats, recalling the work of the n5MD roster, before collapsing out gracefully to a downbeat structure more readily identified with Motion Picture Actress' standard body of work, as he gets things started tonight. As the set continues, Flemenco-influenced guitars overlay the rhythms, jazz influences drop in and out and his recent single True sees a live remix. It seems the artist has finally tamed his technical gremlins and that has lead to an accomplished set; diverse, catchy and energetic – easily his best so far.

Ahead of the launch of their album, By Cover Of Night, on vinyl at The Waiting Room this Saturday, Ghost Notes are playing their first full show this year and quickly prove that the time off stage hasn't weakened them at all, as they pull out one of their strongest performances. Helped by a lovely mix, the instrumental group stay achingly beautiful throughout their set, evoking the feel of a haunted Western. Sparse drums, scraped guitar strings and muted trumpet all seem somehow distant even as they fill the room, and the piano swells with a melancholy melody on stand-out track Man Takes A Walk In The Desert. Even when they explode into full volume there's still a feeling of restraint that shines through and hints at ever more to come.

Big Dead begin in the same vibe as Ghost Notes – ambient, jazz-influenced rock, all sparse snares and piano – before picking up the tempo significantly in the second track with a much jauntier number. It's a technique that the six-piece follow over the next few songs: sparse jazz-influenced sections give way to more traditional rock, which fade back into brushes and repeating piano chords, before bursting out into rock once more while Cameron Bower's vocals hang delicately over the music.

New single How It Ends, How It Starts is very soft. Featuring acoustic guitar, soft-jazz saxophone and quiet, sad vocals, it's a long way from a traditional single, but the song captures the room and draws enthused applause from the sizable crowd. Following on is Dopamine, a lovely track and the highlight of the set. Changed from its original form to a much quieter version, the jazz influence in their sound is strongest here, and as the extended outro fades delicately out, the guitarists leave the stage and let their colleagues draw the song to its conclusion. The remainder of the set is a lot heavier and is more than a little reminiscent of Radiohead circa-The Bends. It's a surprising shift from the earlier half of the set and shows a band that is both expanding and refining their sound as they grow.