Gig review: LoneLady at The Crescent, York

Proudly based in and inspired by the “East Manc Badlands” – according to one of the T-shirts at the merch stall – LoneLady’s music answers the question, taking the unloved urban edgelands of the North as the seedbed for the sonic landscape she constructs, where nervy post-punk fuses with dancefloor-friendly synth pop.

In York for the first night of her new tour, the evening gets under way with local solo support act Mayshe-Mayshe who wins a warm response from an initially sparse crowd, weaving a gently mesmerising spell with her looped vocals and keys.

LoneLady’s last outing saw her promoting third album Former Things with an expanded band line-up – but Campbell is once again performing solo and taking the road less travelled, visiting new venues and this time focusing on the deep cuts from her three-album catalogue. The stripped-down set-up is ideal for revisiting the sparse drum machine and guitar sound of her debut Nerve Up – though sadly Hinterland highlights like Groove It Out are left to lie fallow tonight.

Campbell is an intense and focused presence, moving between her synths and drum pads and mopping sweat from her brow. Her commanding guitar work is a masterclass in urgent, funky rhythms, dissonant glassy shards and New Order/Joy Division-inspired melody lines – I Can See Landscapes is an early highlight. Her vocals circle around the beats, scattering images of urban alienation and childhood nostalgia.

Former Things standout (There Is) No Logic sees her lay her Telecaster aside to get the audience moving to the driving electronic riff. An artist with a singular vision and distinct sound, LoneLady’s music could easily command much bigger stages – take the chance to see her in this kind of intimate setting while you can.