“It’s not every day you get to support one of your favourite bands,” acknowledges Rich O’Flynn of support act All We Are – whose set proves a strong textural match for the headliners’, albeit more sugary in surface.

And it’s easy to see why the opportunity is so exciting for him: the moment Stella Mozgawa playfully skips onstage towards her kit, and the stark enticing drums and hypnotic bass of set openers ‘Intro/Keep It Healthy’ hit the crowd, it’s clear we’re in for a masterclass in mood building from the main act.

Met with cheers of recognition, standout album track ‘Love Is To Die’ is conspicuous for the accessibility of its melody, though it still wrong-foots many with the unusual chord shift of the chorus. With its hefty bass, addictive synth and lofty vocals, ‘Biggie’ epitomises the flavour of the band’s recent release – perhaps offering a taste of what to expect from the group’s future direction.

Standing centre stage throughout is Jenny Lee Lindberg on bass; the enthusiasm and rigour of her playing underpinning all other sonic extremities – from syncopated cascades of guitar and drums, to soaring vocal ornamentations. Never wavering in her focus, or the sheer joy of playing, she’ll have left many with a fresh appreciation of her chosen instrument.

The arrival of ‘Disco//Very’ merits a ‘dance party’ in the eyes of the band, and here the lights come up at their request – the better to see everyone shake their stuff. The less shy members of the crowd oblige, though the majority are happy to simply stand in awe. The usual stylistic comparisons can be made of course – with Cocteau Twins, Radiohead, even Kate Bush – but these only belie the defining characteristic of Warpaint’s music; it’s of great quality, but no genre. All the better for it.

Listeners of their new eponymously titled album will have seen the group arrive at a more intimate ‘same room’ sound, something that – for the shape and size of the venue – can’t be replicated in tonight’s performance.

But tonight the intimacy comes across in other ways: through the sheer warmth of the band, their direct addresses to the crowd, and the intensity with which they play. Keen to please and grateful for their audience as they are, this is a band who make music for themselves – four friends locked in a rich creative exchange. You can almost believe they’d have just as much fun without us.

Brighton Dome, Thursday 23rd January 2014
Words by Paul Ord