Gig review: Battles, Glasgow

IT'S rare to see a band survive let alone thrive after the departure of their frontman, but experimental rockers Battles are no ordinary bunch.

Soldiering on as a trio since losing Tyondai Braxton to his solo career, the New Yorkers signalled their intention to treat the release of their second album Gloss Drop as a return to year zero as they uncompromisingly introduced Glasgow to Battles mkII.

It was disappointing to see them completely disregard their stunning first LP Mirrors, but then there's no replicating Braxton's distinctive cartoony cut'n'paste vocals.

The threesome's twitchy technophile workouts were intricate yet fearsomely visceral, not least because they were played at a volume that may have had passengers on the trains rolling out of Central Station above wondering what the rumble was from below.

Save for John Stainer's frenetic drumming – his kit placed front and centre – it was rarely obvious what instrument was making which noise, so processed, chopped and churned were Ian Williams and Dave Konopka's guitar, bass and synth parts.

The retinue of guest singers that appear on Gloss Drop contributed via pre-recorded videos – Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino on dreamy disco number Sweetie & Shag and Portuguese rapper Matias Aguayo on deliriously daft math-rock freakout Ice Cream.

A heavily-eyelinered Gary Numan jumped his cue on My Machines, but the tape was casually reset and his melodramatic squawk fed back into the bombastic fray.

Look forward to seeing one or all of the above joining the band in the flesh as Battles similarly attack the summer festivals and win.