Live Review: Gazar Strips, Naked Maja, The Steady As She Goes, Barge With An Antenna On It, Hypnotic Bedrooms

Bringing four guitars to the stage, you'd expect Hypnotic Bedrooms to bring a bold and dynamic sound, however, this is unfortunately not the case tonight. While there is nothing technically wrong with their blend of psych-garage, their set feels a little lacklustre, and you get the feeling they're just going through the motions.

Barge With An Antenna On It are comparatively stripped back, taking the stage as a duo consisting of guitar and drums. They prove that you don't need bells and whistles to deliver a banging set – they're gutsy, they're raw, they're not mucking around, and they're excellent. Lengthy instrumental jams are balanced with short, hard-hitting punky numbers, resulting in one of the most exciting local sets of the year so far. They round out a stellar performance with the guitarist roaming into the crowd to square off against the drummer in what feels like a battle of talents, with the winners being us lucky spectators.

Tal Wallace, known tonight as The Steady As She Goes, strips numbers down even further by performing solo with the aid of a drum machine. It's surprising that with so little that he is able to deliver so much – his energy is bold, ferocious and utterly intriguing. It proves impossible to take your eyes away from the almost bizarre one-man show Wallace delivers. The pedal effects he utilises through his guitar means we are able to experience a range of styles and tones in each song, making for an incredibly dynamic performance.

Naked Maja's set-up time feels excruciatingly long, however, all is forgiven once they eventually get going, as their electronic stylings are so beautiful and mesmerising. The blending of the male and female vocals is a particular highlight of this group, as the two voices seem to melt together in the most dazzling and admirable way. They bring a softer and more angelic sound to proceedings, although it doesn't feel out of place, rather, they have the effect of adding a splash of sunshine and light to the evening.

Any light that Naked Maja may have delivered is immediately quashed as Gazar Strips take the stage, their broody, gothic sound oozing nothing but delicious darkness. There are echoes of goth pioneers such as Bauhaus and The Cure in this band, who modernise that flavour with crisp percussive lines coupled with the bold and diverse vocal ability of Jon Weber. They're launching their brand new EP Sparkling this evening, which demonstrates a diverse range of sounds within the gothic genre, with the highlight tonight coming in the form of Bee Mantis, which gets even the most sullen in the crowd moving.