Wild Beasts @ Summerhall, Edinburgh, 1 May

Boy King is the furthest that Wild Beasts have ventured from their 'signature' sound. It features much heavier, electronic instrumentation that distorts their brand of off-kilter pop, rather than the lush arrangements that previously beautified it. As this show is in support of Boy King, the set is heavily skewed towards that album, and informs both the musical choices made throughout the show as well as the visual ones, as a big, glowing robot face peers down at the assembled crowd.

The new album sounds good live, but it's really only the singles that are particularly well received (with the exception of Celestial Creatures, which features a jaunt into the crowd from Hayden Thorpe); the rest are appreciated with a detached respect, rather than overt enthusiasm. Older cuts are a bit inconsistent, as those with more delicate, fey vocal performances (e.g. We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues, Hooting & Howling) lose a bit of their subtlety under the weight of the boisterous instrumentation. Some, though, are still able to hold their own in a new environment, like Lion's Share and Wanderlust.

The vastly different stage presence of Wild Beasts' two singers provides a good juxtaposition that is indicative of the styles the band are trying to will into a singular whole. Thorpe is perpetually lackadaisical, lolling around the stage and letting his laconic croon do the work; Tom Fleming is a manic, energetic firecracker, jumping and twisting around the place, adding a sense of urgency to proceedings.

The divergent styles stay fairly separate, but come into a perfect dovetail on the expected closer, All the King's Men. The yelps and singing working together with the jaunty arrangement to deliver a satisfyingly buoyant end to a show that didn't always hit the high notes, but sprinkled more than enough of them over the night.