Electrelane

Initially active for less than a decade following their formation in Brighton in 1998, Electrelane made some of the most challenging, romantic, chaotic and tuneful guitar music to arise from the period. Equally at home knocking out post-rock epics as they were chorally heavy works of post-punk minimalism and wildly improvisational avant-rock, the quartet were dearly beloved by a small few during their lifetime, but saw their legend grow during a four year absence to a level where a brief reformation had them playing to huge crowds at festivals like London’s Field Day in 2011, where, for many, they were the day’s must-see act (despite going on many hours before any of the headliners). On that day, I was just as spellbound as I was the first time I saw them (supporting Erase Errata and Le Tigre at The Astoria, kindred spirits in approach if not in sound), and delighted to see that many of the things that characterised their performances back then – a marked musical intensity, almost total lack of interaction with the audience, and a staunch refusal to indulge in endless encores – remained in full force. What I hadn’t allowed for was how much I’d feel like I’d missed them, quite how happy I would be to have them back, albeit briefly. Here’s hoping the next time they decide to play on a stage together again, they won’t make us wait quite so long.