A spell-binding performance at The Great Escape in May meant the return of the Montreal-based quartet – whose debut album Native Speaker was released earlier this year – was a packed affair.

BRAIDS have said their name comes from their intricate weaving of sound into sound. From the swirling liquid samples that herald album opener Lemonade to the final gasp of splintered vocal on title track Native Speaker, they quickly proved their moniker was well-suited; building up, riding, then breaking apart their multi-layered masterpieces.

Often compared to Animal Collective on record, live they blaze a unique trail between ethereal dream pop and Bjork-esque electronica. Singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s vocals - delicate and choral one moment, teeth-bared shrieks the next – owe a nod to Regina Spektor and, after stripping away her smoky cabaret associations, the tenderness of Julee Cruise. When harmonising with keyboardist Katie Lee against a background of pulsating effects, the band even manage to capture the atmospheric fragility of the Cocteau Twins, with drummer Austin Tufts’ sporadic beats reining in the most delicate of melodies when they threatened to wander off on their own path.

More than happy to let a repeating guitar note or stuttered synth segue songs together, stage banter was kept to a minimum. Such was the sprawling landscape of rolling chords, glitched notes and ambient whispers, to interject with a anecdote or two would have only interrupted the aural journey the rapt audience undertook. Even with the band at their quietest – creating a slow rhythm of whistles, sighs and gasps from the title track – the audience were left, once again, spellbound.