King Krule, The Garage, London

Photo: Jonathan Simpson

Tonight’s line-up is kicked off by former Metronomy bassist Gabriel Stebbing’s new, and rather intriguing project, Night Works. Intriguing because, from the very first song, you’re instantly drawn to their Steely Dan/Hall & Oates stylings; comparisons we certainly weren’t expecting to make before we arrived. However, you find yourself unashamedly lapping it up, and as the set progresses the venue full of too-cool-for-school youngsters seems to be doing the same. It’s a short but sweet set that showcases their eclectic taste and knack for good melodies, going from slow, atmospheric numbers like ‘I Tried So Hard’ to certified dance floorfiller ‘Nathaniel’. A little bit rough around the edges they may be, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the live arena. By the end, it seems as though Night Works might only be scraping the surface of the greatness that will hopefully follow.

BBC Sound Of 2013 hopeful Arlissa takes the stage next, serving up some chart friendly, Shakira-esque (you heard us) pop anthems, complete with her soon-to-be trademarked yodelling vocal style. Three songs in however, the threshold peaks and it begins to grate on the old brain. It’s decent enough stuff, and she’s sure to go onto achieve mainstream success in the near future, but that’s about all. Nothing incredibly memorable, just decent, inoffensive, danceable stuff.

King Krule offers up an entirely different prospect, of course. Possessing a deep, soulful, emotionally-charged voice that seems the absolute opposite of his diminutive frame, he is immediately baffling to the casual observer. And his music likewise. Jazz-tinged guitar riffs play over drum and bass heavy beats, and his powerful, schizophrenic vocals can jump from pure anger to complete despair in the blink of an eye.

Not that he’d want it any other way. You get the impression he’s throwing down a gauntlet, offering up a challenge to the crowd. He has no desire to make things straight forward or easily accessible for anyone here. His music is completely free flowing, following his train of thought as he goes through the ups and downs that are undoubtedly at their most extreme during the age of 18, and are only magnified in current times. Traditional structures are thrown out the window. Everything becomes unpredictable, at times even feeling improvised. Only during recent release ‘Octopus’ and previous online breakthrough ‘Noose Of Jah City’ do things seem at all instant, as the crowd, mainly full of similarly-aged youngsters, are able to finally grab hold of something and dance to their hearts’ content.

For the time being, his sound is neither here nor there, showing brief moments of extreme pop sensibility before almost instantly diverting back into free form emotional madness. Both have their merits, but at the moment it’s as though they’re in a constant fight with each other, unable to decide a winner. Ultimately, over time, more of a balance between the two will emerge. And that’s when King Krule will truly have found his unique sound, his point of impact.