Electro-poppers Morton Valence were headlining at Cargo tonight, aided and abetted by the amazing Anchorsong and some rockabilly DJing from the Truckin Lauras.

Improvising a soundscape of looped vocal, keyboard and percussive samples, Anchorsong (AKA Masaaki Yoshida from Japan) mesmerised the audience with his unique take on old-school electro and dance.

Then, in the words of Flanagan & Allen, taking to the stage “underneath the arches” of Cargo’s main hall, and with keyboards balanced on an old ironing board, Morton Valence launched into their set. Morton Valence’s music slips effortlessly from hushed intimacy into full-on stompers, incorporating tinkling xylophones, trumpets and megaphones along the way. We were treated to their most recent single, the lush Chandelier, as well as Veronica’s Blades, an instrumental which sounds like New Order’s Everything’s Gone Green reworked by Blondie. There was playful vocal interplay on Bob and Veronica Crickets and, of course, probably their most well known song, Sailors (a particular favourite of mine), with its’ synth riff and insistent rhythm.

With a fan-financed debut album in the pipeline and several recent plaudits under their belts, Morton Valence are sure to become a more well-known fixture on the scene, so make sure to check them out when you can!