Four Tet @ The Bongo Club, 13 March

Rocketnumbernine are comprised of brothers Ben and Tom Page, providing a real treat for punctual gig-goers tonight. Their consistently laconic demeanour belies the intensity of the music they create. On synths, Ben pulls angular, clashing sounds into Doctor Who style electro hooks whilst Tom’s loose and quite brilliant drumming goes almost unnoticed by dint of how easy he makes it look. As the set progresses, the boys become more playful; Ben seemingly tests his sibling with the next curveball of beautifully fucked up sci-fi pomp, while Tom duly knocks each one out of the park. Live, they’re simply a must.

The first ten minutes of Pantha du Prince’s set are a worry, with Hendrick Weber cloaked in a snood, marshalling dissonant waves of chiming bells and clattering beats. The crowd remains impassive, dutifully taking photos of the experience rather than enjoying it. Yet when Weber kicks into Lay In A Shimmer or teases with the bouncing bass of A Nomad’s Retreat, we’re eating out of his hand. But his restless knob-twiddling prevents the crowd from getting into any kind of sustained groove, creating more peaks and breakdowns than necessary. Fleetingly brilliant, yet an ultimately frustrating set.

Kieran Hebden – AKA Four Tet – puts on a more confident show. Whether he’s making this up as he goes, or if it’s as preordained as a Michael Bay movie being shit, it matters little. He gives an air of ad-hoc experimentation with Angel Echoes appearing freshly forged from his electrical circuitry before morphing into live staple Joy, which turns appreciative nods into some spasmodic dancing. New cut Love Cry expectedly gives revellers something they can finally move their feet to. It doesn’t always flow so well, as the maestro’s habit of awkwardly stopping songs elicits confused applause rather than the expected feverish climax. Trivial perhaps, but for a night marred by an early time slot, it seems inevitable. [Darren Carle]