Performing at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studios as part of the Live On 6Music sessions First Aid Kit took to the stage dressed in Abba-esque sparkly gold outfits, obviously in reference to their latest album title.

This theme was continued with opening track 'Stay Gold'. Whilst listening to First Aid Kit it's hard not to be transported to the vast plains of Mid-West America and the set designers added a touch of nostalgia with a couple of sunset orange spotlights.

Next up was perhaps the Soderberg sisters most famous track in 'Lion's Roar' which caught the crowd out with a rocking reprise that gave a hint of what was to come later on in the set.

As it was a live broadcast on 6Music there was then the inevitable interview section, which always seems like a pain for both interviewer and artist but the sisters handled the slightly awkward questions from the crowd - "When do you sleep?" - with reasonable skill. One interesting insight did come out though, that Klara's favourite animal is the sloth and it was suggested they took a trip to London Zoo to check out their collection.

Back to the music and we got 'Emmylou' and then a cover of Jack White's 'Love Interruption'. If the band decide to have a change of direction for the next album then this last example showed that they can easily rock-out with the best of them.

Much is made of the Maida Vale studios but the sound was crystal clear with every pounding drum beat and autoharp twang picked out perfectly. Sadly it was only a small gig as a full-length concert with clarity that puts most venues to shame would have been a real pleasure. Anyhow, it will live long in this reviewer's mind.

View the show on the BBC's iPlayer here.

Following support from Telegram, the core of The Horrors enter the stage to applause followed moments later by cool as you like, Faris Badwan, who attracts a large cheer as he struts in to view.

The wait is over and The Horrors jump in at the deep-end with ‘Chasing Shadows’, the glitzy opening track from this year’s release Luminous. This kicks off an innovative set where the Southend shoegazers breeze through material from their previous three albums. It’s noticeable that they leave 2007's debut Strange House in the dark as they light up the Troxy with dazzling strobes and improvised instrumentals. The evolution of The Horrors since Strange House has been huge, and tonight acts as a celebration for the sound they have since mastered.

And it's loud. In a barely lit setting, the band is hidden behind a smokescreen, but Joseph Spurgeons' drums burst through the dark and are the driving force behind the evening’s highlight, ‘Sea Within A Sea.’ The track stands out as members of the crowd clamber to shoulder level to ride the wave that Tom Cowan’s synthesizers create.

With the band hid, attention is directed to the fantastic light show which is like a gothic Disneyland spectacular. Badwan’s slender silhouette, which is visible throughout, emphasises the novelty of the performance; you see him holding his microphone-stand aloft, breaking the awesome green sheet of light which covers the crowd.

During Primary Colours’ ‘Who Can Say’, it becomes clear for anyone who has seen the band at a festival that an indoor setting is essential to truly witnessing a Horrors performance. It is the lighting and the confined space which creates a wall around the crowd and the band, unifying everyone in ascending tracks which hit like a ton of bricks.

As the night draws to a close, Faris Badwan thanks the crowd for sharing the last night of their UK tour in support of Luminous, flying into sing-along single ‘I See You’ before the leaving the stage for the first time.

The band re-emerge for a deserved two song encore, with a passionate outing of their latest single, ‘So Now You Know’, before stretching Skyling’s ‘Moving Further Away’ in to a ten minute intoxicating freak-out. The track is huge and The Horrors are becoming seasoned specialists in upbeat '80s nostalgia, more so than you could ever have imagined when they first broke in '07.

Leaving into the crisp London air, with ringing ears and blurred vision, there’s no doubt that The Horrors have signed off their UK tour in style.

The North East is known for its music scene but perhaps not for its festivals. Twisterella however, are here to put the North East back on the new music map, taking inspiration from Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape and many other events specialising in bringing punters the best in new live music.

Promoters Pay For The Piano and The Kids Are Solid Gold have combined to bring some of the regions, and the UK's, finest new music to Middlesbrough. Both boast excellent rosters, and are well known throughout the North East; Twisterella's line-up showcasing the depth of their previous endeavours. There’s a brilliant breadth and depth to Twisterella’s line-up, here are just a few of our picks from this packed line-up.

Heyrocco are an international addition to the line-up, hailing from South Carolina. They have a pretty distinctive brand of grungey indie rock and are a band tipped for the top, so we’re hoping to catch them whilst we still can.

Happyness have been touring with the likes of Speedy Ortiz of late, another band firmly on the up. We particularly enjoyed their recent show in Newcastle and in our eyes these guys can do very little wrong, especially as they’re labelled as the British Wilco.

Continuing on similar vein, Bad Breeding are another band currently poised to take the UK by storm with a sound akin to early work by Eagulls. The band have put out releases on Hate Hate Hate Records where bands like The Wytches and The Fat White Family have also released their early works.

Capture are an indie rock band hailing from Darlington, the latest in a long line of indie rock bands from the North East. We’re excited to see what they have to bring to the party on first listen; they have a sound that’s close to many of their peers but we shall wait and say.

Not so much new, but still brilliant Leeds’ That Fucking Tank. These behemoths of instrumental rock music are due to set things alight in the middle of the afternoon at Twisterella. We cannot wait for them to light the touch paper with what we’re sure will be a phenomenal day of music.

Another indie rock band hailing from the North East, and making waves all over the UK, are Lisbon. They arrive at Twisterella riding on the crest of a wave having played countless festivals all over the UK, earning a rapturous response at every turn. These guys are set to be huge, definitely a band to catch while you still can.

This is just a small selection of the talent on offer at Twisterella, we cannot wait to get in amongst it. The line-up is truly astounding; a gathering of phenomenal talent, whilst we have our list of who we want to see we can almost guarantee that we’ll discover even better and more exciting acts on the day.

Twisterella takes place on Saturday the 11^th of October at venues across Middlesbrough. Tickets are on sale now priced at a mere £15 and are available here,

Photos: Lee Hammond

Words: Adam Long

Tonight we're here at the Ritz in Manchester for well- established indie rockers Manchester Orchestra. They’ve been touring their arses off in support of their latest album Cope and its subsequent acoustic iteration, Hope; the receptions their live shows have been recently receiving, proving their hard work is paying off.

At first glance the venue doesn't appear as full as we expect, but there's still a sizeable crowd. With the band previously touring earlier in the year it isn't all that surprising they haven't filled the venue, but tonight still proves they have some core fans in the city. Before they take to the stage however, we've the pleasure of Kevin Devine, complete with his full band, though they do have to borrow Manchester’s Orchestra's bass player for a reason we still don’t quite know? But all the same they play a great set, if at times sounding a little samey with minimal crowd interaction. One thing we would mention was their choice of finisher, their whole set was full of energy and pace but towards the end the last few songs dropped off and become a bore for us, and from my observation, everyone else too.

With the support over it's time for Manchester Orchestra who come to the stage locked and loaded with the meaty riff of 'Pride' shredding us to the very core. They instantly grab our attention from the word go. A few crowd-pleasing oldies in, they began reeling off with their latest singles, including 'Every Stone' and 'The Ocean'. These tracks may only have been out a few months but trust me this crowd knows every single word. There's unfortunately a moment at the start of “I Can Barely Breath” in which the crowd were somewhat rude, as the song's played acoustic, and Andy Hull's vocals were lost buried under all the chit chat of the crowd.

After that solitary sour note, the rest of the set continues to twist and change with a good mix between acoustic and powering riffs. By the end we're truly left stunned at such an awesome set. The sound's been brilliant all night and Andy’s vocals spot on. Despite the new album not doing brilliantly with critics and fans alike, their newer material mixes perfectly tonight, showing a band at their strongest and preparing to take over the world. If you thought that wasn’t enough then their encore is the cherry on the top; an acoustic cover of the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” which was just sublime, played with supporting artist Kevine Devine back on stage for added vocal harmonies. It was fresh and inventive not to mention nostalgic and a perfect way to end a near perfect night.

All in all it was a real shame it wasn’t sold out, as those in that venue witnessed one of those rare sets. Those sets where the sound is bang on, the band are loving it and everyone's locked in and note-perfect. It showcased exactly why these guys are where they are, and you should go and catch them on this tour before it’s too late.