Gig review: Lucius at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

The track, drawn from the LA-based quintet’s third album Good Grief, is the best thing Goldfrapp have never recorded. With its heavily treated vocals and explosively infectious chorus it gives every impression of the band being straight-up electro-pop.

This misconception is exploded from the very first, with the opening track being performed acapella by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig. Indebted to 1950s pop, the era is also referenced with the pair’s matching contemporary pin-up hairstyles and vintage microphone.

These details illustrate that they’re not afraid to become bona fide pop stars (the set even includes a costume change), with their material strongly backing up their ambition.

Regularly building rhythms out of multiple drums and percussion, they switch seamlessly between anthemic 80s synth-pop (‘Tempest’), Prince-style funk guitar (‘Almost Makes Me Wish For Rain’), and country-rock (‘Wildewoman’). In so doing they manage to make the kind of joyous stadium pop that Lady Gaga was aiming for on ‘Born This Way’.

They’re nonetheless also capable of lowering the pace to create genuine intimacy.

Their acoustic encore of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, performed with Sydney Wayser from support band Clara Nova, showcases Wolfe and Laessig’s ability to perfectly harmonise. More so, it proves that they can work a crowd even when there’s no electronic wizardry to hide behind.

This seals the band’s star quality, with their 90-minute set suggesting it won’t be long before they’re play much larger venues than the Brudenell.