Before Bat For Lashes even arrived on stage, their darkly glimmering sound was heralded by a string of fairy lights draped over the microphone.

Brighton three-piece Natasha Khan, Abi Fry and Ginger Lee were dressed like glam shamen in glittery headbands, feathers and Egyptian collars and their music had the same combination of shadowy power and sparkle.

Lead singer and songwriter Khan's musical family tree would include Tori Amos via Cat Power and Bjork, although her actual family are, apparently, the world-famous Khan squash-playing dynasty.

According to her biography, this led to an interesting childhood which included losing a pet goat to religious sacrifice while living in Pakistan.

Khan wrapped her very capable vocal cords around songs about loss, death, nature and suburbia, throwing some eclectic instrumentation and quirky lyrics into the mix.

The audience, when invited to participate in I Saw The Light, howled enthusiastically like wolves.

"I'm going to start the howling off," said Khan, "because I'm a control freak".

Control freakery may be the key to Bat For Lashes appeal, as songs which could easily become drawn-out melancholy symphonies were kept tightly in line and never descended into whimsy.

Shimmering melodies were underscored with fat primal drumbeats and Khan even pounded the stage with a large stick during the heart-wrenching Sarah, to gain the required level of thump .

The three musicians worked their way through a startling array of instruments including electric guitars, violins, chiming bells and a Victorian Marxophone Khan aquired in new York, yet the set never lost focus, despite the constant changing of seats and equipment.

Those who prefer their chanteuses fiery and original, with highly-disciplined songwriting skills, should check out Bat For Lashes' well-received album, Fur and Gold.