Isle of Me, Joe Acheson Quartet, OBE - Bannerman's, Edinburgh, Feb 15

Opening tonight's Bannerman's bill are Isle of Me (3/5), with their Manchester-esque brand of synth-pop. Their sound is perfect for Mondays-enthusasists and the like, although what began as a fairly upbeat set dissolved slightly into some longer, less dynamic tunes. Following on from this were the Joe Acheson Quartet (2/5). Before they kick off, two sets of drums looked promising – would we get something surprisingly noisy from a 'Quartet'? Alas, no. The laid-back electronica, peppered with jazz and classical violin was occasionally pretty but unengaging. Any band attempting this on stage has to pull the audience into their world with a soundscape to truly capture the imagination. On this occasion, however, it was impossible to suspend disbelief with the band regularly exchanging nods and glances while requesting alterations from the sound desk. Some vague similarities to Sigur Ros and Boards of Canada were discernible but not really sufficient to hold the attention. After two interesting but slower sets, some energy was needed and this is just what the OBE (4/5) steamroller brought to the table; danceable tunes and a great performance as per usual. [Caroline Hurley)]