Review: Wild Beasts

****

There is a line in Wild Beasts' most recent single, Wanderlust , that sees singer Hayden Thorpe croon "we're decadent beyond our means". While the song itself may allude to deeper connotations of class divide, there is no doubt that subtle decadence – if there is such a thing – is within full grasp of the English indie quartet's musical remit.

Hailing from the Lake District via Leeds and now based in London, the foursome have carved out their own idiosyncratic corner of the market over the course of four albums with an intellectual lyric sheet and a penchant for writing songs that triumphantly abandon the indie rule book. Indeed, their evolution from the peculiar pop of their 2008 debut Limbo, Panto to the contemplative electronic influence of their new album, Present Tense , is detailed in gloriously exuberant yet understated fashion tonight. Hypnotically swaying on his heels as he takes up guitar, bass and keyboards at various points, the dapper Thorpe proves himself a unique vocalist with his airy falsetto on stomping singalong Hooting & Howling , the pulsating pop throb of Mecca and the quietly majestic Loop the Loop , which sees his bandmate Chris Talbot beat out a yearning rhythm that mimics a heartbeat. Thorpe's co-frontman, Tom Fleming, provides the swarthy vocal yang to his fragile yin on rambunctious Devil's Crayon , tethering the set list to a focal point when it seems in danger of fragmenting.

If there is an issue with tonight's set list, it's that momentum is somewhat difficult to sustain; for every euphoric electro-driven pop tune such as A Simple Beautiful Truth , there is a slow-dripping, solemn number that knocks the wind out of the audience's proverbial sails.

It is both a brutal and enlivening reminder that Wild Beasts are increasingly difficult to second-guess. As if to prove that point, a laser-based light show is unleashed over the crowd as a slow-burning tune descends into an undulating synth jam with basslines so soul-shudderingly heavy that dust is dislodged from the Olympia’s rafters.

They may not be the sort of band who are chased down the street for an autograph, but having drawn from such a diverse palette of sounds, textures and moods with their music, Wild Beasts may well turn out to be one of the most influential acts of their generation. Another line from Wand erlus t sums them up perfectly: "With us, the world feels voluptuous." Quite.