Not for Wheat the wanton thrill of audience interaction. Or even eye-contact. They care little for the mechanics of performance - the tiny details that separate Us from Them.
Instead, the US alt-pop shamblers whisper among themselves - more a casual clutch of gas-pump attendants than a, ahem, 'rock band'. All of which could be construed as a tad pretentious - particularly as
their oeuvre frequently flirts with post-rock's cerebral muse. But nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.
Wheat's shuffling reticence allows their music to be heard in its natural habitat - stripped to its gossamer underwear and allowed to roam its own sweetly peculiar terrain. Interestingly, despite the drifting, Yo La Tengo-ish drone that underpins the bulk of tonight's set, songs such as 'Don't I Hold You' and 'Slow Fade' are revealed as spiritual successors to such AOR-dealers as Steely Dan and even, at times, the Blue Nile.
It's all quietly, coyly beautiful, with the burnished, REM-ish romance of opener 'Off The Pedestal' proving a surprisingly FM-friendly highlight. Wheat may not win prizes for their communication skills. But their music - understated yet perfectly realised - speaks volumes.
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