Half Waif @ Castle Hotel, Manchester, 24 Jan

On the road for their first European tour, Brooklyn’s Half Waif are made to feel at home in the welcoming snug-cum-venue within The Castle Hotel. The trio is led by Nandi Rose Plunkett, who shuns New York nonchalance in favour of refreshing modesty and sweetness. With her globetrotting heritage (her mother is Indian and her father Irish/Swiss/American) she leads proceedings with a mix of layered and soothingly melodic electronica. It has unapologetic pop hooks at its core yet is crafted with an array of intriguing nuances, made possible only by a frontwoman who has crossed many continents.

Despite bringing us to faraway lands with their sound, Half Waif uses nothing in the way of outlandish instruments on stage: Plunkett controls modern synthesizers, putting them to optimum use and taking advantage of the myriad of unorthodox sounds available. Simultaneously, her vocals take the audience to places unknown.

Nest, from last year’s album Probable Depths, is a beautifully turbulent journey which travels in numerous directions before reaching its final destination. It demonstrates both the band’s effective use of time signatures (Battles would be proud) and the elasticity of Plunkett’s voice, which soars majestically above the musical landscape below. Not to be outshone, Zack Levine works both a Roland drum machine and traditional skins to provide punctuating beats whilst Adan Carlo responds with reliably strong bass guitar notes.

Their all-too-short set closes with Tactilian, commencing with an exquisite soft chant before building to a whirling, hypnotic climax in stark contrast to the album version. “I open the door and I know I’m not going to be back for a while,” sings Plunkett. We hope this isn’t true, Half Waif. You’re welcome back anytime.