It was near on impossible for Lanterns On The Lake to make a theatrical entrance to match the J2 theatre stage this evening. The reason being the Newcastle six-piece had spent the previous ten minutes delicately arranging and setting up their army of equipment, for which many of them would swap and use throughout. With that said, once the lights did fall and the sextet had finished their charmingly sheepish waves to the crowd the next hour that was to follow was filled with exception and stunning contemporary experimental folk. Tonight was a performance that was both enthralling and every bit as 'cinematic indie' as the band sells themselves as.

“It's a lively crowd tonight” sang the beautifully pitched Hazel Wilde on the set opener. Yet the lyric from 'Lungs Quicken' was in complete contrast to those assembled tonight. From the off the crowd were immersed in a deathly silence that was the only feasible response to the delicate vocal and peaceful riffs streaming from the stage. 'If I've Been Unkind' was next and served as a reminder that of the folk routes upon which Lanterns build. The shift in sound from the first two tracks and throughout the show further emphasised the abstruseness of Lantern's operation. This being the fact that their seamless glide from acoustic and organ fused folk to electronica and vying rock atmospherics makes them so hard to categorise and from this, so, so gripping to watch live.

Lantern's debut album 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' was inspired by their move to the coast. Unsurprisingly the motif of the sea and life surrounding it is carried into the whispery debut record. Tonight this motif was a definite correlation for the band's wonderful performance. At times there were still, almost shoegaze and peaceful moments led by gentle guitar work and folk whisicles that sat like a calm, still lake. Whilst at other moments there were crashing and forceful layers of guitar riffs and electronic waves that mirrored a traumatic and dancing ocean during a storm. The real joy in these polar movements of noise was the frequency in which they interacted and really no song finished as you would anticipate or expect it to.

The beautiful 'Kingdom' and the expressive 'Keep On Trying' were stand out moments of an eleven song set that had no lulls. Maybe Lanterns On The Lake aren't as gripping as the dark sounds of Mazzy Star that they instantly draw comparison to but tonight Lanterns proved masters of creating atmosphere and music to capture you with force stronger than any ocean rip current.