Maps @ Nice'n' Sleazy, 6 Nov

Northampton duo Maps (ostensibly helmed by James Chapman) certainly have a solid fan base, if tonight's worship-like stance by the audience's front row is anything to go by. And while some of that adoration can be justified – with tracks such as Turning the Mind and Let Go of the Fear showcasing Chapman’s dexterous balance between shoegaze and electronica - segments of the set sadly fail to catch fire. New album Turning the Mind is a far darker affair than his 'nicer' debut, incorporating much more of the electronic element that first brought Maps to our attention, as is apparent throughout the set. However, despite the shift in dynamics, Chapman has created an album – and live show - that sounds at its worst antiquarian, at best (the moments of which are too few and far between) a mesmerising hybrid of early Spiritualized and My Bloody Valentine. [Zaineb Al Hassani]