Liars, Audio, Brighton

Stage presence: a necessity for any band that wishes to play an impressive show. Liars have it in spades. Centred very much around frontman Angus Andrew, with the appearance of an extra in Lord Of The Rings, he has a dramatic ferociousness but without an ounce of malevolence.

The band lay on a rhythmic barrage of sound. Continual motion and hypnotic grooves from the rhythm section are key to their performance. Of course it does help that one of their touring guitarists looks almost exactly like Mission Impossible-era Tom Cruise. That aside (not that it isn’t entirely thrilling) they deliver an emotive quick fire set, heavy on material from new album ‘Sisterworld’.

‘Here Comes All The People’ is particularly interesting tonight, a slow, near-psychedelic song of constant growth and development. One of the clear highlights, however, is their much performed cover of Bauhaus’ ‘In The Flat Field’ which is played with aplomb, real echoes of the cold, harsh and frantic vocals reminiscent of the early gothic era. It proves to be the catalyst for more energetic exploits amongst the audience, who are encouraged to show some form of dancing.

Later, ‘Scarecrows On A Killer Slant’ is a hark back to the band’s early work with a more frenetic dance-punk vibe. Liars truly exploit the dark, sweaty environs of Brighton’s Audio venue and deliver an extremely tight performance. Despite relocation to a smaller venue than the originally arranged Concorde 2, apparently due to a lack of ticket sales, they do not appear deflated but do show much appreciation for those who turn up – a true sign of a band with confidence, something that is rightly deserved.

The encore, a rapid two song affair, includes ‘Loose Nuts On The Velodrome’ which unites the crowd tonight. It is comforting to see that despite the development of Liars’ sound, their original fans are still out in force, albeit perhaps in place of more recently found listeners.