Ghostpoet @ Gullivers, Manchester, 29 January

With snowfall and Sound Control’s fifth birthday to contend with, there’s a fear early on tonight that Ghostpoet’s murky urban musings might not be as claustrophobic as they deserve. Thankfully for London-based singer Obaro Ejimiwe, who is trying out tracks from upcoming album Shedding Skin, Gullivers turns out to be a more than suitable venue for a sneak preview with an excitable squeeze of people upstairs.

Cordial with the crowd throughout, Ejimiwe laughs off the unintentional silliness of his new song titles. "They’re better when you write them than when you say them," he laughs, introducing the nagging Be Right Back, Moving House. Ejimiwe’s weary raps aren’t marked by ostentatious wordplay but by their frank anxiety, charged by his touring band’s mix of crashing guitars and jittery electronica. As Shedding Skin’s menacing guitar evokes the isolation of skulking around nocturnal city streets, Yes, I Helped You Pack slithers with unease about a lover moving out. The band’s prominence suggests a greater physicality than Ejimiwe’s last two albums, represented early on by the dreamy duet Survive It.

After commentating the repair of a temporary tech glitch, Ejimiwe spurs us to move during the synth-heavy Cash and Carry Me Home before encouraging a sing-along of Some Say I So I Say Light highlight Meltdown. Ghoetpoet’s transparency is highest during Sloth Trot: when its drowsy keys and crashing cymbals make way for Joe Newman’s distorted noodling, he steps into the crowd to watch, draping his arm around fans’ shoulders and posing for selfies. With the traditional encore pretence thwarted by the packed room, Ejimiwe stays honest with aspiring writers’ anthem Liiines, its uncertain undercurrent counteracted by chiming guitar peals: ‘I keep on writing, writing but them folk ain’t biting,’ he signs off passionately. One senses that with this album, they’ll take the bait more than ever. [Chris Ogden]