Live Review: Elizabeth Rose, Safia, Fishing

The sold-out sign is up long before the rainstorm eases and the Tropicália rhythms of Fishing's set begin. Their inventive Clams Casino-style sample-delica and cartoonish approach to electro-hip hop is instantly appealing. The duo's clumsy approach to triggering and cutting – rather than sequencing their slippery beats, squelchy synths and airy chords – only adds to the party vibe and their set goes down a treat.

Safia, a tighter and less charismatic act, have Muse-sized ambition and get a passionate response from the near-capacity room. Initially, their sparkling and banging production doesn't seem worthy of the often-formulaic songs it inhabits, but as the set progresses and singer Ben Woolner's neo-soul voice limbers up, the gig takes off. The punchy swagger and mammoth beats of early track Stretched And Faded plus Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues and their remix of The Aston Shuffle's Tear It Down best showcase this production/voice combination. Safia are bound to kill it at festivals before the year is out.  

As the crowd reaches capacity, the curtain parts, symphonic synth chords boom, clouds of purple dry ice billow and tonight's star Elizabeth Rose arrives wearing a gold lamé top with a giant blue eye. Blasting us skyward with her instantly addictive electro-pop, opening track Is it Love? buzzes like a head full of nitrous oxide. Breezing through technical glitches like a seasoned pro, Rose works her way through a set heavy on R&B rhythms, electro-pop synth chords and spiraling melodies totally bereft of downtime or filler. Rose's songs Ready and Out Of Step showcase her fresh approach to sampling and her deft way of dropping a killer chorus. In a genre that often feels limp and exhausted, to see so much energy and a complete lack of cynicism fills the heart with joy. Again, Rose's 2012 single on which she worked with UK producer Sinden, still sounds futuristic, which seems amazing in such a fast-moving field. Songs such as Sensibility hit the balance between Triple M rotation and a decent rating on Pitchfork. Her cover of Corona's Rhythm Of The Night sends hands in the air, but seems foolish and empty when compared to her own compositions. The Good Life, the closing defiant anthem and opening track from Rose's self-titled EP (being launched tonight), is final proof that we've all witnessed a monumental talent on the way up.