Shield Patterns @ The Castle Hotel, Manchester, 17 April

You'd be forgiven for not realising that this is only Shield Patterns' second show: Claire Brentnall's porcelain songs arrive seemingly complete and finalised within their own framework, their ethereal keyboard motifs and breathy, wide-eyed exclamations taking wing and perching among the high rafters of The Castle Hotel pub.

Though electronically delivered, her creations have a solid heart, which never quite allows technology to surpass emotional warmth. Recurring themes skip lightly across gossamer; she adds Oriental-sounding touches and subtle poetry, and the voids inbetween tell their own stories as vividly as the notes, words and themes.

There are fleeting moments where you find yourself wondering, “Maybe with a bass on that?” or, “A flicker of strings could add…” But for now, the beauty of Brentnall's songs lies in their simplicity, and the intoxicating pulse of her words is quite remarkable for only a second gig. At the close of Underling there are a few seconds of silence, as audience members compose themselves before bursting into applause. Their reaction says so much about the spell being cast here. [David Edwards]