Her's @ Band on the Wall, Manchester, 15 Feb

Into a fairly straightforward set of pre-gig, livening-up-the-crowd tunes comes the familiar sound of The Everly Brothers' All I Have To Do Is Dream. Still sounding like something beamed in from some other less troubled planet, it completely shifts the mood from lively to a kind of subdued melancholy. It’s into this bizarre atmosphere that the duo (or trio if you count the life-size cut-out Pierce Brosnan that stands at the back of proceedings like a disapproving uncle throughout) that make up Her’s stroll on stage. As the music fades down they continue the song on just bass and vocals, emotionally pitch perfect, capturing the weary romanticism of the original in a fitting tribute to the forefathers of their own woozy lovesick sound.

It’s the kind of sparkly, wide-eyed sound that relies heavily on the hushed proximity that recording allows and as such can sound lightweight when put into a live setting. However, Stephen Fitzpatrick and Audun Laading have clearly taken great care with the production on their pre-recorded drums, which are more akin to boom bap instrumentals, meaning any potential for the music to sound feeble is blown through the wall.

Tonight's set is pretty equally split between their pair of really rather lovely albums, 2017's Songs of Her’s and last year’s Invitation to Her’s, with newer songs getting as reverential a response tonight as older favourites. In fact it's Invitation single Low Beam that proves to be an early set highlight, a pure-hearted piece of pop sweetness that is the perfect vehicle for Fitzpatrick’s versatile voice which slides between a low insouciant purr and a Prince-like yelp without ever feeling like it pulls focus from the song's emotional core.

Not everything connects to this extent. R'n'B slow jam-indebted crowd favourite Cool With You overstays its welcome, losing the intimacy its instrumental outro requires somewhere in Band on the Wall’s high ceilings. However, it is something to be said for the sheer affability of the duo and their sound that, as a band with a very defined sonic palette, they never bore. Laading’s bass is giddy enough to enliven any moment and Fitzpatrick’s alternating swooning chords and spindly lead lines carry enough sheer heart that the duo never feel like they aren’t wholly committed.

Fittingly it’s the closer, the low energy pop triumph I’ll Try that is the night’s high point. Over a clattering drum pattern and Laading’s bass at its fidgety best, Fitzpatrick sings a vocal melody of overwhelming, bulletproof sweetness. It’s so good that it's in danger of making the encore feel like a waste of time, with the two songs that follow paling into nothing by proximity. Thankfully final song of the night Speed Racer stampedes in, all The Smiths in rockabilly mode, and ends the set in a warm and joyful place.