"The sound's ****" one impolite yet pithy punter shouted early on in this packed church show's headline set.
Frankly, our heckler was sadly right, as a frustrating night would prove.
Things started well with support act Atlas Sound, aka Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, solo, performing dancier and far less guitar-driven electronic material than the Atlanta quartet.
Forays into ambient and almost techno soundscapes rather than songs were satisfyingly bassy, whilst a harpsichord-infused gentle folk number segued nicely into full band array.
So, having already bizarrely upstaged himself, Cox's band took the stage with mostly newer songs hampered by a masterclass in why noisier bands generally don't do gigs in churches.
Seemingly endless reverb, turning almost every nugget of quality rock music into a formless blur, made much of this set akin to the less distinguishable shoegaze acts currently on the circuit.
It was only on the occasional quieter number, like the lovely Living My Life and Ad Astra, that the unforgiving acoustics really added a layer to the vaguely psychedelic aesthetic.
Somehow, the sheer anthemic appeal of Nothing Ever Happened broke through the haze as a late shot of much-needed adrenaline, though was sadly just a hint of what could have been.
Three stars
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