Vivian Girls, Brighton Freebutt

“Who came to see us play here a year ago?” I raise my hand. I mumble “I did.” No one hears. Unsurprising really, as the place is full to the brim. Had I mumbled something similar at the December 2008 show, I would have entered into conversation with one of the New York nymphets on stage. But it’s January 2010, and the girls have come a long way. Two well received albums down and several successful tours to boot, Vivian Girls can now boast a strong live talent with a catchy back catalogue to prove it.

The room is made up of about 10 females (including the 3 taking to the stage), 1 unfortunately placed pillar and rather a lot of young excitable males. Again, unsurprising; here we have three good looking young women, who know how to play their instruments, at touching distance. Needless to say, the crowd was not so much dancing as drooling.

Classics from the self titled debut dot the otherwise heavily “new” set. It really is a bit of an awakening: a devout to the ‘Girls first record, their live set opened my eyes to the wonders of ‘Everything Goes Wrong’. The band are gifted with song after song, from the grrrrl rock of ‘Walk Alone At Night’ to the Spector sound of ‘Tension’.

The most tangible, aural evolution to be recognised is the general tightness of their play; while still retaining their DIY attitude, the Vivian Girls have clearly mastered their noise. Their set is honed and tweaked to perfection, and the show is without flaw. From here, nothing can go wrong.