Luke Haines @ Cabaret Voltaire, 22 Aug

Luke Haines may take something of a backseat on this rare live appearance, but his sardonic sniping at middle-Britain is clearly evident nonetheless. Taking cues from the entirely mythical North Sea Scrolls, Haines and co. provide ample knowing laughs from within their alternative reality, where Morris Dancers are vicious vigilantes “slapping thighs and kicking arses” and the IRA ceased functioning in 1974, only to be replaced by an Australian tribute act.

Andrew Mueller’s accompanying footnotes to each of the fourteen musical stanzas are in fact the highlight, the music itself being fairly straightforward accompaniment to the whimsy. Haines maintains a cool distance, spying the audience menacingly from under his pith helmet. A stab at crowd participation for an alt-national anthem finale sees him goading individual members to sing along. The small congregation leaves, still trying to process what they’ve witnessed, seeking confirmation from others. No doubt Haines will chalk this up as another victory in his masterplan. [Darren Carle]