Tindersticks @ Usher Hall, 16 October

French film director Claire Denis formed a creative connection with Tindersticks in 1995. Tonight, the textures of her works (including 35 Rhums, Vendredi Soir and White Material) are enriched by an alternately brutal and elegant live score. Unruffled by early technical problems, the band spontaneously opt to open with Bearsuit, from 1997's Curtains album, before radiant aquatic images and light percussive touches melt into dream-world Nenette et Boni scenes.

 

Form and content are fused perfectly throughout the show; the dark throb of Trouble Every Day releases a tumultuous moment, as lusty, swelling chords drench the sound while images of a bloodthirsty, ravenous Beatrice Dalle scorch across the screen. Tindersticks, of course, don't just deal in down and dirty, and each facet of their sound is interrogated. As Denis' narratives of subversive desire and raw sexuality unfold, the band's explosive jazz scrambles and swooning strings keep perfect pace with the on-screen collages; an uncompromising show.