HELEN Ganya Brown may have taken her musical moniker from Franz Kafka's best-known story but her hometown gig was anything but a trial.

She played her upcoming album Consume Me (out in October) in full, demonstrating the intricate song structures and existential lyrics that characterise her music. Having previously performed in a duo Brown now juggles guitar and synth with electronic basslines and looped samples, all underpinned by her haunting vocal.

The range of her voice was perhaps most apparent in the night's closing track, also called Consume Me, at the climax of which high-pitched melodies intermingle – not grappling for space but floating over each other in a deeply affecting sonic balm.

Dog in the Snow can also groove. The irresistable forthcoming single Child kicks in with a maddeningly catchy bassline before Brown reveals the track's lyrical agenda; anti-domesticity and general concern about the state of the world. "I won't have a child until you show me humanity/sustainability."

Elsewhere the songwriter explores her own background in Mirror, which sees her locked in an identity struggle as she ponders her Thai roots and differing perspectives of it. "The white man sees me Asian, the Asian sees me white".

Latest single Magic, an ode to dreaminess and childhood whimsy – "I want to feel the magic again" – is a predictable highlight but it's a lesser–aired track, TV, that proves the surprise hit of the evening. It sees Brown at her darkest, merging snarling chords with a staccato beat before duetting with a looped, much deeper version of her own voice. The effect is stunning and highlights the singer's technical acumen as well as songcraft.

The only complaint was the sound at the venue. Occasionally the nuance of Brown's writing was lost in a ball of noise, making it difficult to pick out particular elements of each song. It takes a certain kind of ambience and acoustic to do Dog in the Snow's sound justice.

Despite this minor quibble, though, it seems the only way is up for this talented Brightonian.