Love Inks - The Glad Cafe, Glasgow 30/11/14

I enjoy the mildly shambling appearance of the Austin, Texas trio; singer Sherry LeBlanc (dressed in all black with chunky jewellery, wooden percussion blocks protruding from her back pocket), husband and guitarist Kevin Dehan (long hair, kaftan) and bassist Zach Biggs (a week’s facial hair, beret) particularly because it reminds me of the best 80s indie acts who were unconcerned about appearance to the point it made them more alluring than any studied coolness. I also love LeBlanc’s curious and inscrutable sign language gestures as she sings – probably utterly meaningless but imbued with a heavy, unknowable something – and how all three seem completely unfazed by a rather sparse attendance for their show at The Glad Café.

Once we get to the music, how could one not love a band that casually throws out a sultry and minimal cover of David Essex’s “Rock On” only two tracks in? It’s a choice that’s obviously one Love Inks had thought long and hard about before including it on 2011’s debut album E.S.P., as it doesn’t affect the flow of the band’s set at all. Like all the songs, it’s constructed of guitar (Dehan’s Gibson blues guitar produces the cleanest chords you’ll ever hear), Biggs’ unfussy bass, and programmed precision drums that make some of the warmest minimal music of 2014. Even opening track “Solar Diary”, taken from 2013’s fuller-sounding Generation Club, has been retooled and stripped back to fit in with the tracks taken from new album Exi. While skeletal in its construction, that and tracks like “Leather Glove” and “Blackeye” take from that aforementioned 80s indie such as Young Marble Giants but also from soul music; LeBlanc’s voice is heart-meltingly pure and shot through with a deep hotness which means these songs avoid being standoffish – always a real danger with such precise music.

The best moments tonight come from new album Exi, a deliberate return to what made E.S.P. such a great album. “Way Out” and “Regular Lovers” are tracks which thrive on the space between the notes as much as what’s actually played, meaning Dehan’s plucked strings expand outwards between the gaps in the programmed beats, one chord doing the work that strumming away aimlessly might never achieve, and never overpowering LeBlanc’s gorgeous voice.

Love Inks, if anything, sound even more atmospheric live than they do on record; the minimal tag is deceptive to an extent as this music has hooks to hold on to, a depth of emotion and an attractive confidence that’s near impossible to ignore. It’s always the unassuming ones you have to watch out for.