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Crushed like cattle around the bar (move up damn it!) the second night of Levi’s 5 Night Revue is kicked off with a confident and sexy swagger by Canadian four-piece Dragonette. Martina Sorbara, replete with slicked back hair and shiny tights, controls the stage like a Camden dominatrix, her sassy vocals striking a line between the slightly lacklustre guitar work and the drop-dead fantastic synth beats. The crowd nods their heads appreciatively, whilst muttering “t**ts” under their breaths at the over-enthusiastic die-hards in the centre, who soon have pints scattered all over the floor. A good start.

With a beard that puts Mr E to shame, lead singer of Clock Opera, Guy Connelly, hardly strikes you as the typical electro-pop conductor. Yet any doubts about his credentials are shoved aside when, in a cacophony of frantic drums, recent single ‘White Noise’ explodes onto the crowd. They have a hypnotic control of the crowd, with the bass going for a walk whilst Guy croons with a soulfully understated softness. With a quiet efficiency, the band swaps instruments and positions on stage every other song. The use of eclectic samples to underpin the bands emotive, soaring style marks a true genius. They leave a lasting impression. Clock Opera, remember the name.

Of course it wouldn’t be a new music night without at least one solid gold dud, and unfortunately, Wolf Gang are tonight’s offering. With the lead vocalist wearing a jacket reminiscent of Kiefer Sutherland in Lost Boys, Wolf Gang are blend of stadium rock and nineties pop. Yet they are not in a stadium, and their music is as rock’n’roll as my sock draw. As unimaginative as it is boring, the only good thing about their set? The opportunity to queue at the bar.

With the crowd a few beers better off, Marina and the Diamonds finally take to the stage to uproarious enthusiasm. Despite her petit appearance, Marina has a voice that haunts and entices in equal measure, an indie-pop Shakira whose vocal talent is undeniable. The dynamics of piano and drums draws inevitable comparisons with the Dresden Dolls. Yet unlike Amanda Palmer, Marina sticks a fiery two fingers up at the pain inflicted upon her by the world, choosing to attack rather then dwell upon love and loss.

Sauntering up and down the stage, the jaunty pace of ‘Seventeen’ finally gets the fairly restrained crowd moving. Yet in a confident move, she moves behind the piano for a solo rendition of heart-wrenching ballad, ‘Obsessions’, sobering the tone in the best of possible ways. The momentum is just about reclaimed by the time recent singe ‘I Am Not a Robot’ brings the set to a close, ending a memorable night of music.

She is Marina, we are the Diamonds. Bloody brilliant.

Whilst at first glance Athlete are, and have always been, a fairly middle of the road soft-rock outfit, I have always harboured a secret belief that there was something special about this South London four-piece.

Perhaps it was the glimmers of eccentric genius emitted in the forms of ‘El Salvador’ or ‘Beautiful’ from the Mercury nominated Vehicles and Animals, or the undoubted depth of personal emotion that laid the foundations of their commercial success with ‘Wires’. Whatever the source of their inspiration, (and Christianity certainly features prominently), Athlete always seemed to be coming from an interesting place, rendering even their mainstream devolutions into common denominator pop excusable, to an extent.

Sadly, Black Swan fails to advance the group out of this middle-ground, instead reinforcing the image of a band full of interesting ideas, but not quiet enough substance. Opening track ‘Superhuman Touch’ sets the trend. Anthemic and upbeat with its bubbling keyboards and rousing chorus, this is a clean and well-handled, single-friendly opener. The ‘Karma Police’-echoing ‘Black Swan Song’ adds a layer of darkness to proceedings, whilst there is even an attempt at a fast pace with the vibrant, rolling drums of ‘Light The Way.’

These are not bad songs, but at the same time, the listener will find it hard to summon the will for a second listen. The primary issue is the vacuous nature of the lyrics. Athlete have previously produced soul-searching, deeply personal moments, but Black Swan lacks the same feelings of intimacy. Certain empty metaphors, such as your “heart being like a stone” or “love rescuing me” occur with mundane rapidity. Even the interesting image of swallows judging mankind through the messages passed along telephone lines on ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ is then buried beneath yet another chorus about love’s redeeming power. They just don’t strike the same chord that they used to.

To be cynical, the sad conclusion may be that Athlete just don’t have enough personal tragedy and tribulation to spread over four albums. Without such inspirational spark, it is difficult to see this mediocre material gaining a wide audience. Incredibly dull and very disappointing.

Live albums are fraught with potential pitfalls. Done too clinically, it can merely sound like the original recording with added applause. Do it too roughly, and all you’ve got is a recording of a gig, bad sound quality and all. Thankfully, Efterklang have confidentially steered between both extremes on this live version of their much acclaimed 2007 album, Parades.

The Danish four piece already has a strong reputation in Scandinavian music circles, where their combination of sweeping piano chords and soaring vocals inevitably draw comparisons with undisputed Nord-pop champions, Sigur Rós. However, unlike their Icelandic colleagues, Efterklang offer a far more accessible form of the genre. By singing in English, more reflective moments such as ‘Cutting Ice To Snow’ assume a more decipherable significance, whilst the crashing waves of drums on ‘Horseback Tenors’ illustrates their willingness to up the tempo when required. This makes the album far easier to appreciate in its own terms.

As a live recording the Danish National Chamber Orchestra also bring a great number of technical additions to the album, which is used to give Efterklangs grandiose brand of soaring, ethereal pop an additional layer of emotive drive. With the depth of sound available from the orchestra, the Sergeant Pepper like horn section on ‘Mirador’ is skilfully underpinned by a more melancholic violin structure, creating a sense of façade about the songs joyous themes. Similarly, album highlight ‘Frida Found a Friend’ sees the guitars of Rasmus Stolberg deliberately placed at odds with the glockenspiel led chorus, invoking images of underlying discord and chaos. The already atmospheric album thus acquires a layer of mystique, where the openly displayed emotion is rarely the reality.

All of which serves to illustrate the excellent calibre of this tragically little-known group. Performing Parades is a beautiful, complex and engaging album, layered with double-meanings and contrary themes. Absolutely brilliant.