Live Review: Pikelet, The Ancients, Kane Ikin

11 October 2013 | 1:57 pm | Glenn Waller

Pikelet are clearly playing to the converted tonight, as each track receives rapturous applause upon completion.

Minimal lighting combines well with the sounds emanating from the PA as Kane Ikin sets to work creating dark sonic textures in support of Pikelet's CD launch tonight. Ikin casts a humble figure as he manipulates gear positioned on green milk crates, layering and looping audio to hypnotic effect.

More people slowly make their way in as The Ancients take to the stage to perform their brand of dreamy, swirling indie rock. Playing tracks from forthcoming release Night Bus, the quintet write songs drenched in jangling guitars while a keyboard adds to the dynamic. With heads down and guitars slung up to the armpits, The Ancients look and act as shy and reserved as their music would suggest, self-effacingly doing their songs justice in a live setting.

Choosing tonight to launch new album Calluses, Pikelet are in full band mode as a four-piece with bass, synth and drums adding depth to Evelyn Morris's melancholy pop numbers. Projections showcases Morris's soaring, heavily delayed vocals, which bounce around the room and are soaked up by audience members who eagerly observe. Keyboard stabs bring in Fleeting, a tapestry of synth and stop-start bass, with sparing drums letting the track breathe until its stirring fadeout. Pressure Cooker is droning and haunting, its sombreness breaking up the set nicely.

Pikelet are clearly playing to the converted tonight, as each track receives rapturous applause upon completion. After a cacophonous intro, bass guitar ushers in Friends, Morris's keys and Shags Chamberlain's synth piled on thick throughout. An impromptu rap courtesy of Chamberlain (that won't be putting Eminem out of work any time soon) gets the crowd laughing before the band kicks on with latest album opener, Electric Gate. Morris pours her heart into singing each song, never hesitating when a track calls for her to belt it out. Tackling both keyboard and vocal responsibilities limits her movement, but Chamberlain isn't bound by the same shackles while attacking his synth – a striking combination of hair and limbs. Taking a moment to thank John Lee (Lost Animal, Mountains In The Sky) for his help in the recording of Calluses, Morris is all smiles as the band continues with Forward Motion. An extended drumming intro brings with it a beefed-up live version of Combo, its crescendo concluding a successful CD launch.

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