James Blake @ Nice n' Sleazy, 27 Feb

It’s difficult to believe that James Blake has only been touring his eponymous full-length debut for just a matter of weeks, so startlingly assured is his performance. The delicate, soulful balladry of that LP, with its effect-laden vocals and bass-heavy infusions, is noteworthy for the space Blake allows for the notes, the lyrics to breathe.

In the intimate surrounds of Sleazy’s however, Blake doesn’t seek to fill those silences with anything else, but rather adroitly manipulates them so that they take on an aura completely of his own creation. This is typified by the grandiose treatment meted out to tracks I Never Learned To Share and current single, The Wilhelm Scream. In both cases, Blake and his two man band gradually add vocal and melodic layers to an increasingly intensified bass line, culminating in a satisfying crescendo which never loses sight of those track’s plaintiveness. More than simply promising, this young guy is already a masterclass in stagecraft. [Wilbur Kane]