Wolf Alice, Concorde 2, Brighton, Thursday 9 April

Blistering confidence and huge, extended tracks saw Concorde erupt in a frenzy of rock bliss, as Wolf Alice left their mark with an unforgettable show on Thursday night.

It was immediately apparent the five-piece haven’t relaxed since they conquered The Haunt last year. Suspense filled the room, as dimmed lights and dramatic background music lured the tense crowd into a sense of uncontrollable anxiety, before front-woman Ellie Rowsell and her bandmates finally appeared.

The group did not hold back in an intense performance. Guitarist, Joff Oddie constantly threw himself around the stage, and, along with bassist, Theo Ellis, teased screaming fans with their extravagant playing. Rowsell’s mysterious stares pierced through the crowd, in a dark, well thought out performance.

Prolonged instrumentals further enhanced the huge sound, prompting an incredible reaction, visibly pleasing the band. New material from impending album, My Love Is Cool, was previewed sporadically throughout the set. These new tracks felt original and exciting, with heavy drones and lustful, teasing vocals clashing perfectly in countless intersections.

An adrenaline-fuelled encore was met with a number of ecstatic stage dives, bringing a colossal end to one of Brighton’s standout shows of the year so far.

Dan Miller

Moon Duo, The Haunt, Brighton, Thursday 9 April

If you’re going to be a one trick pony, you’d better make it a pretty good one. It is just as well, therefore, that Moon Duo managed just that.

Let’s not get carried away though – this was still fairly rudimentary stuff. Each song essentially consisted of a two or three note fuzz heavy riff by guitarist Ripley Johnson who also provided fairly incoherent vocals, backed by the repetitive keyboard stabs of Sanae Yamada. Johnson would then step back and play a guitar solo over the same pounding rhythm.

And on one level, it could be argued that was pretty much it.

However, in person the primal and almost hypnotic drones offered as much a physical experience as one of musical enlightenment. It was hard to stop your head from nodding to their ceaseless psychedelia.

If ZZ Top ever disappear into the desert, freak out and make a psych record, it will probably sound like this. And that has nothing to do with Johnson’s equally impressive chest-length grey beard.

While Moon Duo didn’t quite outstay their welcome, nearly an hour’s worth of their pulsating fuzz felt like enough. Any more really would have required a second trick from the box.

Andy Robbins