Girl Band, The Shacklewell Arms, London

And that’s what makes them so special: it’s like putting LCD Soundsystem, The Fall and Mclusky into some sort of sonic blender. Vocalist Dara Kiely – who even looks vaguely like a younger, fresh-faced James Murphy – is wild eyed, constantly pulling at top and putting his hand through his hair. You can pick out some lyrics over the brutal din – "I look crap with my top off", there’s also something about chocolate spread; he seems to scream/slur "NUTELLA".

He sings over a disconcerting cocktail of visceral thuds, hypnotising loops and shredded guitars. The set sees guitars grind, songs shift through tempos and feels and come out the other side (sometimes 10 minutes later) as something completely different to where it started.

Not all songs are that long: they play ‘The Cha Cha Cha’, their 25-second single, but their hypnotic and snarling cover of Blawan’s ‘Why they Hide Their Bodies Under my Garage’ builds and builds the same line under drummer Adam Faulkner's leadership until it needs a drill to dislodge it from your brain. ‘Lawman’ has that thrilling swagger that makes it sound almost sexy and from the first listen of next single ‘Da Bom Bom’ it’s pretty clear their box of sonic tricks is stocked full.

Innovative, invigorating and sometimes damn right bizarre, this is the band you need in your life.

Tags: Gilla Band, Reviews, Live Reviews