Galaxy Girls @ Brighton Up Bar, 20th Aug

“If you read any gangster fiction or watch any gangster film, there’s always a bit where someone gets respect for being really fucking hard but never raising their voice. Galaxy Girls have this *nailed*. This is not polished, it’s not technically proficient, it’s basically 100% restrained menace, the threat left unsaid. There are some overtly badass moments – the way the bassist plays high notes on one string instead of using the full set, the singer’s ‘un deux trois quatre’ dropped in with a sneer – but the set thrums on a bassy rumble, atmospheric and teeming. There are no tunes that you’ll hum in the shower – but you’ll definitely be afraid of them on a dark night. And they didn’t even need to raise their voice.”