Friday evening at The Green Door Store was of a healthy size for Great Pagans' headline show.
Opening up was Japanese Sweets - the solo electronic and experimental project of Owen Thomas (Speak Galactic, Merlin Tonto) - a collection of hypnotic, at times ambient and drone sounds which eased the audience into the more indie-guitar sounds which took up the rest of the night.
After main support Lactose hyped it up with some thick guitar explosions Great Pagans took to the stage and thrived on the energy of the night.
They delivered some new tunes while also playing known singles such as Happy Now and So Pure off their 2014 debut album Cupid In Error, released by Brighton label Anti-Ghost Moon Ray.
Their live performance showcased a rawer edge as compared to the recordings, with appreciative nods to early Bloc Party fuzziness, but with a more delicate leaning towards catchy melody and lyrical awareness.
The upbeat instrumentation juxtaposed with a darker lyrical contemplation (akin to The Smiths) created and encouraged the interesting ambivalent act of dancing along to sadness; something the audience took to doing quite naturally.
It seems to be something Great Pagans have marked as their main trait.
Four stars
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