music

John Maus was a legend of lo-fi synth-pop even before he released an official album, with several self-released CD-Rs being feverishly passed around and played to death in the very early 2000s. The sound on those - church organs, Casio keyboards and drum machines plus oddball half-spoken lyrics, all apparently recorded at the bottom of the sea - has thankfully changed little in the intervening years, which have brought five excellent studio albums and a compilation featuring some of those early rarities.

Maus has spent many years playing with a full touring band but this show finds him going back to basics with just himself, a laptop and a few instruments onstage, which we guess explains the thoroughly affordable ticket price. Support comes from the Mallorcan "pop-synth" artist Sofia, giving anyone who enjoyed her "medieval melodies, nostalgic lyrics and elegant staging" at Casa Montjuic late last monththe chance to catch her again in double-quick time.