The Nottingham indie quintet jumped up onto the sold-out Cockpit stage to a cheers predominantly from young girls, and left the stage surrounded by at least 20 dancing stage-invaders, a group that was predominantly young and male.

Kicking off was ‘Get Low’, the opening track from their recently released album, All Our Favourite Stories, a number driven by its twisting jazzy bassline whilst things were brought to a close by fan-favourite, ‘Glockenspiel Song’, in a set so tight it was almost eerie.

At times the Cockpit was a raucous, intense melting pot of intensity, and conversely later silent, but on stage the five-piece produce intimate and unblemished harmonies, a feature which separates them from your ten-a-penny Indie outfit. ‘Teenage Daughter’, their latest single, is typical of their work with its emphasis on flowing melodies, crafted rhythmic changes and experimentation with dynamics, and it stood out as a crowd pleaser on the night. A personal highlight was when, during the breakdown of ‘Burial Ground’, bassist and saxophonist, Trev, swung his sax round and unleashed a rousing rendition of Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre’s ‘The Next Episode’, before settling back into the groove of their own song.

The first half of the encore consisted of Rob, alone with his Fender Jaguar, singing B-side to ‘Two Devils’, ‘The Well’, before the band crept on and added harmonies one-by-one. The second half of the encore was, in effect, a riot. In short, if you get the chance to catch a Dog Is Dead set, do.

 

9/10