Discopolis / The Little Kicks / Miaoux Miaoux @ Electric Circus, 30 August

Tonight, good things come in threes. No, not the £3 cocktails; the Circus is spoiling us with an adroitly curated trio. Julian Corrie opens confidently as Miaoux Miaoux, now with drummer and keyboardist in tow. Their matching turquoise t-shirts and a cohesive performance suggests they've already found a certain unity. There’s a technical virtuosity here, with live vocal looping, contagious synth melodies, and meticulously spliced samples; the analogue additions, particularly the percussion, puts more meat on the bones of Corrie's compositions, throwing down the gauntlet for the rest of the bill.

While perhaps not swanning on stage with the same charm as their predecessors, The Little Kicks dazzle from frontman Steven Milne’s first soulful vocal. Seemingly in the same smooth, indie-pop mould as many contemporaries (Two Door Cinema Club spring to mind), it soon becomes clear they’re as much in the mould as they are breaking it, which bodes well for their imminent third album. This accomplished Aberdeen four-piece’s silky basslines, classy guitar, and polished lead vocals do more to broadcast their attitude and charisma than their quiet entrance.

Picking the guantlet back up with aplomb, the night closes with Discopolis and their mighty array of synth-driven, numbers. There’s barely a trace of their early days as a Bloc Party cover band here; this set swerves from the urgent energy of Foals to the swooping, dreamy spaces of Local Natives, underpinned by a unique and gritty synth that bucks categorisation. And as if to tie up proceedings – or to simply share the gauntlet with warm camaraderie – our headliners drop live remixes of not only The Little Kicks (with Milne loudly welcomed back on vocals) but also Miaoux Miaoux, Corrie gleefully hopping back onto the mic. A fitting encore to a triumphant billing.