CHVRCHES / Young Fathers @ The Arches, 2 March

Young Fathers' periodic reinventions have seen them try on many different styles and sounds. Their latest incarnation – as post-modern Afrocentric rappers – works well, and they tear into their live set with gusto. Mixing tribal rhythms with harmonised R&B hook-lines, quickfire couplets and grinding synth and bass, the highlights from their Anticon-released Tape One almost win over the crowd, but lacklustre applause leeches some of the energy from their set. Their drummer, augmenting a backing track with live percussion, seems like an afterthought. As a statement of intent, their set is strong, but doesn't quite deliver on all of its promise.

Scottish rising stars du jour CHVRCHES only have a handful of tracks currently out in the public domain – curiosity has drawn much of tonight's crowd. Journos, radio presenters and bloggers abound, along with a healthy dose of starry-eyed kids. The trio's take on synth-pop in early opener Lies is devastatingly effective – taking its lead from The Knife, the band shore up Lauren Mayberry's appealing, syrup-sweet vocals with walls of shimmering synth noise, nodding to techno and glitchy electronica.

As their set progresses, there are a few more retro flourishes – moments which echo the lush neo-Italo sound of Chromatics, and some slightly more predictable 80s synth-pop beats. A slightly drearier number fronted by Martin Doherty is nonetheless greeted rapturously by the crowd, who soon get exactly what they came for as the "Oh-oh! Oh-oh! Oh-oh!" chorus of The Mother We Share kicks in. At times CHVRCHES might appear almost too perfect, but tonight they deliver a polished and convincing performance.