★★★★★

Alex Cameron is the only hip-swinging noir artist you need in your life. Judging on the evidence of last night’s Brighton gig, the Australian is destined to be a star – although Cameron’s set may hold a niche rather than universal appeal.

His brand of synth minimalism, together with his witty character-driven stories of woe and disappointment, can be ever so slightly impenetrable on record. The tunes are brought to life through Cameron’s extraordinary charisma on stage, though – aided by his bizarre, swivel-kneed dance moves.

Between songs, Cameron told rambling monologues that veered between (and indeed commingled) the gothic and the uproarious, drawing from the absurd situations the characters in his music often find themselves in. Take Happy Ending, for instance, the story of a high-rolling businessman who loses his job in Hong Kong and is forced to move in with his parents. “I don’t even have to pay rent,” sung Cameron in his low, rich voice which possesses shades of Nick Cave.

Cameron specialises in losers and deadbeats who have a misguided level of self-entitlement and arrogance despite their low standing in life. Real Bad Lookin’ showcases this lyrical theme, with the song’s drunken, paranoid protagonist railing against the perceived judgemental attitude of society at large. “Who the hell are you to tell me that I can’t leave my kid in the car?” must be a contender for oddest chorus of the year, but it works. Cameron’s strong voice was complimented by his saxophonist Roy, including on The Comeback, the tale of a former television star whose once popular show is cancelled.

The main set ended with a jazzed-up version of the haunting Take Care of Business, which once more touches on the theme of disillusionment. “I ain’t everything I wanted to be.” In Cameron’s talented hands, though, the self-pity that might usually be associated with the topic of failure is avoided.

Instead, the singer makes something beautiful and bizarre out of the pitfalls and downturns of everyday life. One to watch.