In the three weeks that Jagwar Ma’s gig at XOYO was delayed by, a lot has gone in their favour. They have been showered with praise from the Gallagher brothers and received rave reviews about their debut album Howlin’. They are hailed as Aussie baggy revivalists and like their predecessors Happy Mondays and Stone Roses circa Fools Gold, craft indie underscored with electronic influences.

This merging of genre spurred on by the baggy scene of the late ’80s has been especially important in giving rock and indie fans upbeat party music to engage with. Revellers were drawn in by hooky choruses and varied and experimental electronica as opposed to the often repetitive sound of commercial club music. It also united music fans who guitar music difficult to party to. Jagwar Ma’s continuation of this, therefore, maybe nothing new, but it is unifying.

Their set was punctuated by the excellent ‘Come Save Me’ and ‘Man I Need’ and ‘The Throw’ which were melodic and catchy enough to be able to be stripped back to an acoustic version and shed the layers of instrumentation that is sewn throughout. Nevertheless, for an evening set midweek it was encouraging and optimistic to be exposed to the looping electronic instrumentals that Gabriel Winterfield’s vocals float within seamlessly.

The instrumental electronica which acts as foundation to all their tracks are provided by one of Australia’s finest electronic producers, Jono Ma. His previous band the Lost Valentinos were less prolific, but an outstanding live band who also wrote highly catchy tracks that were addictive to listen to. His talent is integral to the ever-rising success of Jagwar Ma.

The trio, completed by Jack Freeman (bass), embraced the opportunity to perform to a mid-week audience in a densely packed XOYO. They managed to get people moving but the atmosphere wasn’t quite ecstatic. Once the fans are given more time with the album and familiarise themselves with more of their material the atmosphere is likely to grow in their future performances.

Cai Trefor