Schneider TM, Magnetophone feat. Sonic Boom and Kwaing Creasite, Blindfold @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, April 30

Icelanders Blindfold look like any generic Franz Ferdinand but the sound they produce with e-bow dexterity is close to lamenting synths. The pleasant surprise was that their blending of Joy Division, Enya and emo actually works. Armed with what looked like the sound equipment for Glastonbury, Magnetophone/Sonic Boom/Kwaing Creasite continued on the melancholic theme by layering vocals and sound waves upon each other to produce the psychedelic and indescribable noise that Magnetophone like to call "Alpha Beti Bon-Tempi Underwater Electro-Hydro Sound-Fusion." A little murky sounding at times but it offered an intriguing venture into sound manipulation. The highlight and headliners were the upbeat and quirky Schneider TM, who provided a show that had as much theatrics (mic eating/coughing sampling) as it did quality music. Some of the crowd were even stirred from their anomalous rigor mortis to join in singing Pacman Shopping Cart; unfortunately all good things come to an end, and the joy was cut short for the next club about to start. [Alex Burden]