Papa M @ King Tut's, 28 May

As a key member of both Slint and Tortoise, David Pajo can claim to be perhaps the single most influential figure in the post-rock world; and the myriad projects he has pursued since have taken some unpredictable turns. Tonight’s bizarre pairing of supports thus feels appropriate: De Selby combine a three-piece brass section with finger-picked guitar and hushed vocals; while Manky Savage are an unashamedly cheesy, sleazy classic rock trio.

It’s a disorienting start, and creates an atmosphere of expectation. There is, however, a slightly underwhelming feel to the initial stages of Papa M’s set, which runs through some instrumentals from 1999’s Live From a Shark Cage: although the delicate fretwork and pastoral melodies of these pieces retain their gentle beauty, they can feel flickering and insubstantial in the live context.

Some of Pajo's later, vocal-based material also makes an appearance, but the haunting, Leonard Cohen-esque atmosphere of the records is less evident tonight. It’s only in the closing 20 minutes, in fact, that the set really comes together. I Am Not Lonely With Cricket, a Terry Riley-style piece of intricately interwoven minimalism, is followed by the haunting fragility of Arundel; both pieces have endured as memorably as Pajo’s more high-profile work.