Deerhunter @ Stereo, 15 Jun

Like two spectators at a grisly android autopsy, tonight's supporting duo, High Places (**), hover intently over the spilled electrical innards tumbling across the table-top before them. However, there are few musical sparks in a set of inoffensive - if moderately engaging - beats and digital tweakings.

Deerhunter's (***) patter flows before their music even begins with a bout of faux-gangsta Tourette's syndrome sending frontman Bradford Cox into fits of self-induced hilarity. Slowly the first chords start to appear amidst the giggles until notification of the beginning of the show is unmistakably nailed to our chests with the bruising introduction of the kick drum, as Stereo's new PA flexes its muscle. The Atlanta-based quintet flippantly refer to themsleves as “ambient punk,” which is actually a fair representation of a sound pitched between the swirling, tender cacophony of My Bloody Valentine and the nihilistic vigour of Sonic Youth. The live renditions of already-strong songs are faithful but also pleasantly spontaneous, with the band often swept up in their own performance. The only low points are encountered when Deerhunter invite comparisons with prime-time, Irish stadium-bastards U2. Thankfully such gag-inducing fare is sparse in an otherwise compelling set. [Chris Cusack]