Thursday 29/03/07 iLiKETRAiNS, Troubles @ Camden Dingwalls, London

Formed from the ashes of Hope of the States and purveyors of dark, clamouring post-rock, Troubles are far removed from the parent band that spawned them. The six band members packed onstage tonight consistently knock out a haunting, yet unerringly beautiful musical concoction. Unlike many acts of their genre their main musical weapon is the trumpet, an instrument that can shift between desolation and optimism within moments and they duly use it to devastating effect throughout the set.

The only thing that could potentially hinder Troubles from achieving the niche following they deserve is their generic. Rooted in the post-rock sound and without a gimmick (unlike headline act iLiKETRAiNS), trumpet aside, they can be easily sourced and compared to umpteen bands - Christ even their background imagery of girders and silhouetted birds are a carbon copy of perennial reference point Godspeed You Black Emperor. But don’t let this lack of originality put you off. Truly, Troubles toy with almost every emotion tonight and are an awesome live spectacle, glaring unoriginality aside.

Armed with the bleak tales of plagues, death and tragic historical figures, the new lords of gloom iLiKETRAiNS are simply magnificent tonight. Arriving onstage in funeral attire and wearing black armbands in honour of the assassinated British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, it’s somewhat of a shock to see all the band members with beaming smiles, clearly excited to be playing to a packed to the rafters Dingwalls. Where on record, iLiKETRAiNS are a joyfully macabre listening experience; live they are an onslaught on the senses. Narrator of the devastating tales, frontman David Martin delivers his sombre words in a deep and emotionally wrought voice while the band around him build up a note-perfect live dissection of the material. At times almost like a funeral march, at others apocalyptic, it all makes for a breathtaking combination.

Standout moments come from October 2005’s single ‘A Rook House For Bobby’, which towers and continues to build in emotion, the passion clearly etched on Martin’s face as he delivers. Later ‘Terra Nova’ is ten minutes of tension fraught instrumentals and stunning white noise, perfectly fitting with the subject matter of Captain Scott’s ill-fated trip to the Antarctic. A sensory experience in every possible sense, the screen imagery adds to the atmosphere too – at one moment listing the names of people who perished in the great plague.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom, Martin reacts jokily to requests from the crowd to play their Eurovision number (apparently they never made it past the heats), plus there is banter between songs, proving that beneath their macabre music, the Leeds lads are human after all. If they keep performing gigs as absorbing and essential as tonight, iLiKETRAiNS’ cult status looks certain to grow and grow.