Anna Meredith @ Beacons Metro, Leeds, 1 Nov
Edinburgh native Anna Meredith storms Belgrave Music Hall with highlights from her SAY Award-winning Varmints LP
XAM Duo open tonight’s Beacons Metro bill with a beautifully tranquil cosmic opus. Matthew Benn (Hookworms) sits studiously at his modular synth, cross-pollinating arpeggios and multiplying clock speeds until it’s impossible to decipher where the melodies begin and end. Partner in vibes Chris Duffin (of Deadwall) tops it off with accompanying drones from his echo-drenched Moog and saxophone: we're fully immersed.
We're shaken from this blissful state by teenage duo Let's Eat Grandma's overtly dramatic style. Although their writing and grasp of instrumentation is impressive, we come away feeling underwhelmed by their oddly stoic presentation. We're clearly in the minority here though as their set goes down a storm.
Headliner Anna Meredith leads a well groomed and highly skilled group of hired guns through the highlights of her debut Varmints, with the joyous enthusiasm you’d expect from a player freed from the stuffy constraints of a classical performance. Collectively they grin nervously as the opening arpeggio of Nautilus emerges and the tension builds as the cello-led motif explodes to life, sounding like a bombastic interpretation of Nine Inch Nails' The Perfect Drug performed by a miniature philharmonic orchestra.
Along with R-Type (played later), it’s Varmints' stand-out moment and sets a high benchmark for the night's set, which matches King Crimson-esque virtuosity with Cornelius-like electronic pop sensibilities, all clocked by insistent synth sequences. The group tackle five-part harmony and catchy pop melody with masterful ease but it’s the propulsive experimental instrumentals that leave a lasting impression. The haphazard decision to revise Erasure’s A Little Respect as a hurried encore seems slapdash after the rush of set closer Shill – but again, it only reinforces the idea of Meredith cutting loose and having a good time. No bad thing.