After an evening noticeably short on interesting songwriting, it seemed it was going to fall to Wild Beasts to make up the deficit.
The queue of punters hoping to catch Wild Beasts’ slot snaked back to the Theatre Royal, confirmation of the momentum that’s gathered behind the Kendal quartet since the release of last year’s Two Dancers.
Hayden Thorpe’s operatic voice was on great form, weaving his eerie spell over the band’s fractured, intriguing songs. There were some brilliant, groove-ridden moments here, too, including their jaunty debut single.
Co-frontman Tom Fleming’s voice was all treacly richness for All The King’s Men, but the constant shifting about (Thorpe and Fleming swap bass, vocal and guitar duties throughout their performances) lent the proceedings a slightly uneasy feel.
The poor old bass guitar never found a long-term home on-stage, and it’s hard not to feel their shiftless approach prevents each member from fully locking in with their compadrés.
For all their obvious promise and otherworldly ability with a tune, this performance felt a little too limp to deliver.
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