The introspective indie band formerly known as Sub Pop Sunday are gathering speed. I Dream In Colour have been produced by Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones, Killing Joke) and Iain Gore (The Libertines, Glasvegas). And following last year’s ‘Boiler Room’ EP, the band are readying their debut album ‘These Folded Arms’.

They arrive to a fanfare of ‘Burning Down The House’, exuding confidence and self-assurance, newly armed for their single launch with band t-shirts, fancy ear pieces, copies of the ingle ‘Strangest Place’ (obviously) and, rather uncharacteristically, a keyboard. People are soon getting excited over over-priced alcohol in small plastic cups, but worryingly I Dream In Colour are a little Script-like in places tonight, and dangerously at risk of sounding bland with openers ‘London’ and ‘Never Close Enough’; not because they’re newer tracks but because musically they are inescapably ordinary.  I Dream In Colour’s strength is how different they can sound – and it would be a shame if they forgot those roots in favour of flogging mediocre records.

Things pick up with ‘Get Along’, and the intriguing ‘Strangest Place’. ‘If You’ rises to a crescendo with sparkling guitars and vocals that give us goosebumps, whilst ‘Maze’ is a hard-hitting rocker, bringing Michael Thackeray’s guitar work to the fore. I Dream In Colour manage to skilfully flit between rough and smooth throughout their set – distinct new wave influences combine with their own style to form something very special. One word of warning though, the piano is a nice addition to the sound, but should be used with caution in future.

Lydia Parry