Calexico @ The Queen's Hall, 11 Sep

Shapeshifting between climactic post rock, ethereal progginess and otherworldly psych folk, Canadian octet Woodpigeon draw a wayward line between Godspeed!, Espers and Kate Bush. Their soundscapes are nothing if not epic: the whispered harmonies and monastic choral samples knitted together by the omnipresent centrepiece; the violin. Their debut album translates superbly in the Queen's Hall tonight.

Calexico are seasoned veterans by comparison, yet their zeal for what they do remains unwaning. For a band that emerged from the barren Arizona desert, they're decidedly evergreen. The band's latest album, Carried To Dust, is a return to their horns 'n all indie-Mariachi songwriting and tonight's performance signifys a triumph in this respect. Joey Burns waxes lyrical about the acoustics of the venue, but there's a sneaking suspicion that, on this form, Calexico would sound good in a garden shed. From Feast Of Wire, Across The Wire and the frenzied Güero Canelo an illustrious past is represented, whilst new tracks Man Made Lake and Two Silver Trees sound equally potent. But it's their decision to include a cover of Love's classic Alone Again Or that sums Calexico up best: culturally diverse and melodically supreme, pushing boundaries without ever sacrificing their undoubted ability to entertain. [Finbarr Bermingham