Live Review: Warchief, Little Napier, Miss Elm

The elfin Miss Elm took the stage amidst the cluster of level 100 hipsters (most of whom had their backs turned – too busy stroking their beards) but though she be small, the songstress took control and like a sugar-pumped toddler began cooing and 'ahhing' with such a genuine bliss, most couldn't help but turn around. Her combination of chirping vocals and disjointed notes (with a melodica thrown in there) was the perfect skipping start to break the musical drought. After some clunky setting up, the boys from Little Napier began to draw the crowds in. With their stripped-back guitars and drums, inspiration from the likes of Pearl Jam (specifically, the opening riff from Nothingman) and Jeff Buckley-esque heartbreaking vocals, the lads' performance was a slow and steady burn, heating up the crowd ahead of the headline act.

All flowing skirts and messy, long hair, Warchief's two female sister leads slid onto the stage. The prosaic sway of the band's electric guitars hypnotised the room, injecting a buzz into the now packed space. Then, like two heads on one body, they sang to one another – holding a melodic tête-à-tête above the pop stardust sounds. The girls carried a heavy load to keep the crowd's attention, with the rest of the band seemingly apathetic about the whole performing thing, lazily stroking their guitars. Uninterested doesn't equal cool, yo. That shouldn't distract from what was a genuinely strong EP launch, but they'll need to inject a little more life into their performances if they plan on keeping the crowds a-comin'.