Opener HENS BENS are surprisingly organised when it comes to their ramshackle art-noise. Musically, it’s a speedy cacophony of the vaguely laddish British indie of the ’00s, (the punkier end) e.g. The Rakes, and the softer side of American noise-rock, e.g. No Age. Though looming large is the Devo-shaped elephant in the room (see: ‘PLEASE LET HENS BENS SUPPORT DEVO’). However, they make it work and their sound complements the wide array of accoutrements and affectations they fill their live show with (pre-recorded computerised stage banter, synchronised video display, matching shiny outfits etc.). They’ve got their identity, now they just need to make sure the music keeps pace with the eye-catching peripherals.

Deerhoof have been at it for 30 years now, with a consistent lineup since 2008; these are musicians perfectly in step and comfortable with each other. And its this foundation of trust that allows them to so effectively colour outside the lines. They demonstrate a technical proclivity with early songs like ‘Paradise Girls’ and ‘L’Amour Stories’, but they can also stretch and elongate melodies, bend a guitar line to its atonal limit or disrupt a drum fill with cracking intensity.

Amid the noise, bandleader Greg Saunier saunters over to singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s mic (which requires a certain physical dexterity as he’s more than a foot taller than her) for a rambling tale about about nothing. It starts as a time-filler for a small technical fix, but quickly devolves into Andy Kaufman-esque anti-comedy, ending on an anecdote about the Ethiopian restaurant they just visited (Mosob?) and his faux-perturbation at the band’s suggestion that they maybe drop the percussion every and then.

Matsuzaki shows off her best skanking moves during ‘This Magnificent Bird Will Rise’, an explosive bit of energy that had been simmering up throughout the night. Saunier rarely goes easy on his minimal drum setup (snare, kickdrum, cymbal), contributing to the wonderfully chaotic breakdown on ‘My Lovely Cat!’ Old favourite ‘Milk Man’ and La Isla Bonita hit ‘Black Pitch’ close out the main set, followed by a brief return for Damaged Eyes Squinting into the Beautiful Overhot Sun.

From album to album, Deerhoof can switch things up pretty dramatically, veering from true avant-expressionism to more straightforward guitar-band jams. Tonight they give a broad overview of their whole career, from the atonal stompers to the groovy rockers, but the real talent is in finding a thread that connects the lot into a cohesive whole. Deerhoof’s mastery of their form is a wonder to behold, one of the few bands that can mix pop and avant-garde without sacrificing the simplistic appeal of the former and restless experimentalism of the latter.