OF MONTREAL (Brighton Concorde 2, 26/04/12)

Of Montreal shows can be somewhat hit and miss - the best of them truly joyous occasions, bringing the best out of their disco-funk psychedelia; the worst an ungainly mess of silly gimmicks and musical sloppiness. Thankfully, tonight fell firmly into the former category, with a Hissing Fauna-heavy setlist, appearances from “Wraith Pinned From The Mist” and “The Party’s Crashing Us” and Kevin Barnes on sterling form, flouncing about on stage dispensing confetti and unleashing lycra gimps upon the assembled masses. No “The Past Is A Grotesque Animal” unfortunately, but that’s literally the only fault I can level against it. Fantastic stuff.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS (London Royal Festival Hall, 25/04/12)

Music’s most loveable grump delivers another delightful set of macabre ditties and cynical wit wrapped up twee. The absolute highlight was the haunting cover-of-sorts of “Smile! Nobody Cares How You Feels”, but two hours felt like two minutes in the midst of Stephen Merritt’s unimpeachable baritone and disdain for pretty much everything.

(Photo: John Gleeson)

KISHI BASHI (London Waiting Room, 24/04/12)

What a gig! Sure, it’s easy to compare Kishi Bashi to fellow string-loopers Owen Pallett and Andrew Bird, but to his massive credit he does something innovative with a formula that’s gone a bit stale over the years. His violin skills impress although aren’t quite Bird-level, but the main draw is his love of improvisation, his melding of genres and of course, his awesome beatboxing. “Just a Tip” is dance-hall inspired filth, another song incorporates Arabesque touches, and Manchester is pure, shimmering indie-pop joy. The best new act I’ve seen this year by a country mile, and one I hope to playing much bigger stages in the very near future.