The Acid / Samaris @ The Deaf Institute, 8 September

London label One Little Indian has always had an ear for Icelandic talent. From Björk and Sigur Rós to Ásgeir, there’s been a consistent wistfulness, and tonight’s support, Samaris, are no exception. Still in their teens, the humble troupe command the Deaf Institute platform; Jófríður Ákadóttir with her breathy Scandinavian vocal (think The Knife’s Karin Andersson, with a dash of Daughter’s Elena Tonra), cocooned in (bear with us) Þórður Steinþórsson’s textural beats. It’s the addition of Áslaug Magnúsdóttir’s haunting clarinet that really puts Samaris into a league of their own, however, making their set uniquely entrancing.

The mood is then set for headliners The Acid. Otherwise a three-piece, this tour welcomes scruffy, lost-boy frontman Ry X’s dextrous drummer Jens Kuross to the fore. Together the four are refreshingly analogue, the live drums a conscious departure from the safety of computerised rhythms, and even those who have heard LP Liminal’s produced gloss would be floored by the gritty organics on display tonight.

Opener Tumbling Lights rises from a choking buzz, ghostly xylophone twinkling, and from the concussive percussion’s eventual thumps, the night is won. Writhing front and centre, flanked by seismic bass and nocturnal synths, is Ry’s softly growled vox, occasionally modulated but always wounded. Ableton maestro Steve Nalepa stands behind, elevating the buoyant scales of Fame or the thud of Ghost; DJ Adam Freeland unites the elements and provides deft backing beats and vocals. The two encore tracks (Red and Ra) are devastating, and the crowd is left in breathless raptures.