Live Review: Vera Blue, Lanks, Angus Dawson

The idiom "killing it" gets thrown around pretty often, but in this case Vera Blue, nee Celia Pavey, committed first-degree murder on stage with her weaponised vocal range. Supported by Angus Dawson and Lanks, it was a gig bolstered by talent and eloquent production.

Angus Dawson brought some crisp, well-produced melodies and rhythms to the stage. Simmering and undulating, Dawson's music was an iceberg. Although not lacking, the production felt minimalistic and made a feature of the power and weight in Dawson's lyrics.

Lanks, aka Will Cuming, was met with pure adoration. One girl shouted out "show us your salad", which left the producer understandably nonplussed. Featuring live drums, the set was a marriage between drummer and singer, with stabby synths and a sharp drumbeat bursting from the seams. The crowd lit up and thrashed away to the ecstatic synths coming from Cuming's production. A highlight was Just A Gent's Heavy As A Heartbreak, which Cuming featured on.

The half-hour anticipation as the stage was set for Vera Blue's needs was worth it. With a sampling controller and tambourine near her mic, you knew it was going to be a set packed full of variety. She emerged on stage to great fanfare, enveloping the crowd with a burning mixture of folk and electronica. Opening with Fingertips, Pavey's love of performing and satisfaction at just being up there were immediately apparent.

Always pushing her voice, at times using it as a soloing instrument, Pavey drew out a distinct emotional rawness, an inescapable, audible maelstrom. The latter part of the set featured an appearance from Lanks for a cover of Illy's Papercuts (which Pavey features on) before Pavey covered Breathe Life by Jack Garratt. Punchy and full of synth, it propagated the lyrical mysticism that emanated from Pavey's vocals.

The night finished explosively with Pavey performing Hold, pushing her voice to unforeseen levels and siphoning talent from places humankind will never know.