Outblinker / Blood of the Bull @ The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, 8 August

In various guises (Aggi Doom; Holy Motors), there’s always been an element of the clandestine to Hilary Van Scoy; solo, under her Blood of the Bull moniker and with just an old, battered keyboard for accompaniment, the impression of flickering between candlelit confessional and hall of mirrors deception is pronounced, material from last year’s Bend Over EP refashioned with refreshing, unpolished charm, hinting at a foul-mouthed Kate Bush backed by a Hammond.

Closing with a cover of Morphine’s The Saddest Song which illuminates each swathe of emotion with candour, it’s a set that’s over far too soon… and if we’re going by the number of tracks they’ve arrived armed with, a similar accusation could be levelled at Outblinker. Thankfully, the five figures folded around the banks of equipment believe in quality over quantity, and a performance in which the parameters they operate under exist to be challenged.

Pink, the lead from their recent EP, begins in dissonance, and that cute trick in which warming/tuning up and the start of the track are blurred. It’s a dancier grind than on record; elongated and more expansive, each rhythmic frond teased and sculpted amidst drum/keys/guitar interaction. Both Blue and Orange lean towards nuance, but when the latter flares, it’s into a blitzkrieg of guttural, mainlined psychedelia. Everything is played live, and everything is integral to the plot – even the strange piece of proto-dub improvisation that wraps up proceedings doesn’t feel overtly out of context. And with the three coloured tracks each threatening the 15 minute mark, there’s zero sense of being short-changed.