Metronomy @ Cabaret Voltaire, 29 Oct

Metronomy belong to that new breed of band: the band who love synthesizers; who make music with the party in mind; who do remixes; who probably started as one teenager in his bedroom geeking about with loops on a computer. The danger with such bands is that, so often, they don’t cut it live: even the most inspired knob-twiddling can fall flat as a performance. But, in a Cabaret Voltaire so filled with scenesters it resembles a promo for Skins, Metronomy manage to recreate the wonky, over-egged electro-pop flavour of their second album Nights Out - mostly. Without a drummer, they rely heavily on programmed beats and sequencers, and some of the album’s most sublime touches – such as the door hinge effect on Heartbreaker or the guttural synth of A Thing For Me – are lacking. But a mixture of tight basslines, chest-mounted push-button lights, (very) amateur choreography and actual songs (yep, ones with verses and choruses) justify their status as one of the most hyped of 'new bands'. [Nick Mitchell]