Favoured in the daytime by students and what are presumably by now termed ‘post-hipsters’, the Marwood is a quirky and cobbled-together cafe. When it opens late for concerts its first-floor performance space is the frequent site of relaxed and atmospheric guitar concerts – a full band in that tiny room is something more rare but nevertheless has a personality all of its own.

To start with, Bloom had two excellent supports who laid the foundations for a great concert: Esme Sarfas, a local guitarist and singer-songwriter, played half an hour of heartfelt soul to an audience that sat cross-legged on the floor. She was followed by Andrew Stuart-Buttle of the Ellie Ford quintet, who played a mesmerising solo performance, looping keys, violin, guitar and vocal harmonies. He blew most of Brighton’s solo acts out of the water.

Which brings us to Bloom. By the time they took to the performance area – there’s no stage in the Marwood – everyone was standing up, and the small room was packed. Against the eclectic DIY mural of the Marwood’s back wall, and with the moody stage lighting, the room took on a slightly psychedelic edge. It’s a wonderful space for an intimate gig like this. Bloom got off to a strong start. they’ve been playing together under one name or another for eight years or so, so they were polished and confident from the outset.

They play uplifting electro pop, heavy on the synths, with a rhythm section aimed directly at inspiring the crowd’s feet. They step outside of the norm with the vocal lines delivered by their two singers, whose style is mostly complimentary but at times divergent. It gave the band an added appeal and their songs an added dimension that they didn’t only sing together – they used harmonies, but would also sing in the round. At times it almost seemed like they were competing.

They played through a diverse catalogue of songs, including a cover or two, that had one thing in common – they were all very accessible and crowd-friendly. There was a lot of dancing going on and the concert had a general ambiance of carelessness that made the whole evening feel fun – which is an aspect some bands neglect. Playing good music is not the same as putting on a fun concert, but Bloom had both down to a T.

The two vocalists were open and easy-going, friendly with the crowd and comfortable on stage. They joked with an endearing self-deprecating humour that they were under-rehearsed, and that the band in general was a mess, which certainly wasn’t true. They played their extremely danceable set faithfully and skilfully, looking after the crowd like real entertainers. There may have been only around fifty people there, but it was a more enjoyable concert than many bigger and less personal gigs.

Ben Noble

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