Whilst the specifics of James Blake’s genre and deep meanings of his few lyrics have been debated to death by the nation’s music media over the last six months, it is with a fresh sense of intrigue that a small crowd arrive at the even smaller Nice ’n’ Sleazy in Glasgow, keen to see how 2011’s first minimalist sensation translates his spacious, bass heavy songwriting into a live arena.

In the event, the show, one of Blake’s first touring his debut album, does everything that such a performance should, adding further intimacy, atmospheric layers, and floor shaking sub to his recorded sound. Inevitably, this is a set weighted heavily towards the material of his self titled debut, which, as has been repeated countless times to anyone who cares to listen, sees Blake move away from the dubstep-influenced sound of his earlier EPs towards a more minimalist sound angled more towards atmospheric songwriting.

Following a mildly engaging set from support act Cloud Boat, Blake enters with little personal fanfare and takes his place behind the piano, behind which he spends the entire performance. Just 22, it is clear that Blake, a reluctant interviewee who has repeatedly reinforced his reluctance to work with other artists, is a shy, slightly awkward performer. Occasionally, he seems ill at ease with the intimacy of the situation, a nervousness which seems to make him a little tempted to hurry past some of his more personal lyrics, such as on I Never Learnt To Share (“My brother and my sister/Don’t speak to me/But I don’t blame them”).

Whilst perhaps lacking stage presence, Blake is, however, a remarkably engaging performer. His persona, like his music, is intriguingly vulnerable, and tonight he proves beyond doubt his remarkable levels of talent. The reverberating bass notes which shake the venue seems to reinforce the intrigue and awe of the crowd, who stand mostly in respective silence throughout, lost in their own thoughts. Backed by a two-man band, Blake performs much of his set alone via his keyboard, innovatively manipulating his voice with tape loops and autotune.

As a performance characterised by gaps of silence and echoes amongst which you can literally hear coins dropping, it is a natural step to question whether Blake ‘s live show will work as effectively in a festival situation. Occupying prominent positions on the bills of such festival giants as Primavera Sound and Glastonbury this summer, it will not be long before Blake has to again get accustomed to delivering his music to a still larger audience.

4/5 Stars