Women @ Captain's Rest, 14 Feb

Canada’s Women are, in fact, dudes. Four dudes who tonight face a jammed Captain’s Rest, seemingly agitated in anticipation of this performance since falling for their eponymous debut record: a lo-fi, significantly more overcast take on the Beach Boys' '60s sunshine pop. They proceed to interweave intricate guitar melodies with the slightest effort, the bass and drums providing most of the energy which the overly deadpan, sour vocal murmurings at times cancel right out. As a result, their performance is at times a little lacklustre, to the point that guitarist Pat Flegel looks only semi-conscious throughout. Overall it's a set of peaks and troughs with standout cut Black Rice teasing air punches from some of the more enthralled crowd members, while the more wayward numbers make others increasingly restless. It's a frustrating show, especially when there are moments of pure gold on show here for those who have the patience. [Emma Smith]