Dirty Three / Zun Zun Egui @ Òran Mór, 25 November

Upstairs at Òran Mór can be a difficult venue in terms of atmosphere: the cavernous spaces of the church tend to absorb energy and create awkward, echoing acoustics. So it proves for tonight’s openers Zun Zun Egui, whose vibrant eclecticism initially feels displaced in front of a subdued crowd. The Bristolian/Mauritian/Japanese quartet, however, have deftly fused an audacious blend of dubby spaciousness, gospel-like ecstatic chanting, afrobeat rhythms and frazzled funk; and their marshalling of those influences into a taut, dynamic whole eventually grabs the crowd’s attention.

Despite this cacophonous beginning, however, the tumult with which Dirty Three open their set is still startling in its raw energy. This year’s Toward the Low Sun LP marked a return to the vital, ecstatic and abstract soundscapes of their earlier work; yet live, songs like Rain Song, Furnace Skies and You Greet Her Ghost are imbued with a new, impassioned intensity that is almost jarring.

Inevitably, it’s Warren Ellis’ stock of befuddled, meandering interludes which ultimately forge a sense of warmth and connection, covering topics ranging from the horror of being reincarnated as Chris Martin, to a detailed analysis of sponge cake. Against this surreal backdrop, the clamorous beauty of Ellis’ violin, Jim White’s restlessly imaginative drumming, and Mick Turner’s gentle, glassy chords unite in intoxicating waves of noise. By the end of an all-too-short two-hour set, any limitations in the venue are long forgotten. [Sam Wiseman]