Chicago-based four-piece Pelican are an exciting and stimulating live spectacle.

Their heady blend of slowburning post-rock soundscapes and sludgy doom metal mixes intelligence and intricacy with ear-pounding guitar-based indulgence.

The Audio crowd, perhaps not used to associating the venue with live instrumental music, seemed to be a mixture of hardcore followers and intrigued, open-minded spectators. Whatever the blend, by the time Drought (from the band's first longplayer, Australasia) was under way halfway into the set, every heart in the room was pumping away at a speed of knots and over-neglected, lengthy hair flew out from the horizon of heads with gleeful fervour.

Bliss In Concrete sounded better on the night than it will ever do on the record.

The last date of the band's tour in promotion of their latest lp City Of Echoes saw a band which thrived on the chemistry and spontaneity of the live performance dynamic.