music

The 150-capacity audiophile listening bar Nica on Gran Via is only occasionally repurposed as a gig venue (guest DJ sets are a more regular occurrence), but when it is, the artists involved are always intriguing. Croatian Amor, Not Waving and Carla dal Forno are on the venue's short but immaculate list of previous gigs since the space opened in 2018, and Friday's guest, the enigmatic Italian artist SSIEGE, sits naturally in that company. 

Tipping his hat to the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never, Koreless, Fennesz and Malibu, SSIEGE has released two albums and two EPs for Andrew Lyster's Manchester-based YOUTH label, where all-capital-letter names are clearly encouraged. SSIEGE's sound is a gauzy, twinkling, sentimental swirl of piano, samples, tape loops, synths and field recordings that evokes new-age ambient, click-hop and half-remembered film and TV soundtracks.