Wild Nothing @ Stereo, 30 November

On record, Jack Tatum's Wild Nothing project have a dreampop, shoegaze bent – synths are pushed to the fore, and vocals are often drenched in reverb, giving the songs a wistful, narcotic dreaminess. Live, backed by a guitarist, bassist, drummer and synth player, the setup coaxes out the jaunty indie-pop roots of the songs. There are hints of post-punk in the drums, at times recalling The Cure; the tempo of many tracks is upped slightly, and the resultant loss of space and dynamic in the mix leaches the music of much of its uniqueness.

The guitar lines lose their FX-pedal sheen and become jangly, Teenage Fanclub-esque workouts. The synth is largely drowned out by the band. Although Tatum and co. deploy some of Wild Nothing's best-loved songs (Golden Haze, and the title track from Nocturne are standouts), one can't help but feel let down – away from the studio sheen, and with Tatum relying on the band to fulfil his vision, there is not much to mark Wild Nothing's songs apart from the daytime radio pack – they would sit alongside the likes of Tom Petty, or worse, the boring balladry of Maroon 5, without feeling out of place. A competent performance, but tonight the Virginian outfit veer a little too close to bland.