Arthur Beatrice, ICA, London, review: Promising new material suggests this could be their year

Frontwoman Ella Girardot's clear, ethereal voice has drawn comparisons to the xx and London Grammar

The band's new material explores continuing themes of yearning and mistrust

You can barely see a thing inside the ICA – it’s all thick smoke and silhouettes – until someone flips a switch and Arthur Beatrice are right there onstage, bathed in white light.

It’s a theatrical beginning, but for the first half of the show vocalist and frontwoman Ella Girardot’s performance seems a little stiff. Only when she returns from a dress change – her hair untied from a tight ponytail – does she seem more confident; carrying through the movements she makes rather than faltering halfway as before.

Her voice is clear and strong, with the ethereal quality that drew early comparisons to the xx and London Grammar, accompanied by more sombre vocals from Hamish Barnes (vocals, guitar). A tiny brass section adds weight to “Healing”; the second track of upcoming album Keeping The Peace.

The band are yet to produce a song on the same level as “Midland”, which stole the show from their 2014 album Working Out, but new material shows promise with continuing themes of yearning and mistrust. After eight years of staying out of the spotlight and honing their craft, perhaps this year they’ll get their moment.