Round the back of Stirling's Old Town Jail, a disused yard has lately been revitalised by (counter) cultural activists Creative Stirling.
Their Freedom Versions venture enlivened the walls with a graffiti mural among other endeavours, and its closing gig starred chamber-indie harmonists Quickbeam and alt-rock swashbuckler Withered Hand.
In the midst, flanked by the gaol and the gloaming, Glasgow-based duo Conquering Animal Sound unfurled a thrilling set of choral electronica, ambient rapture and local resonance. "Shout out to the Callander homeboys, otherwise known as my mum and dad," proclaimed machine-overlord and guitarist James Scott before playing tracks from forthcoming Chemikal Underground album, On Floating Bodies, the follow-up to their Scottish Album of the Year award shortlisted debut Kammerspiel. On this evidence, it is a hugely exciting prospect.
The new songs advance Scott and Kampman's knack for techno with a warm pulse, an exquisite voice and a big pop heart, and the duo seemed more in command of their technically intricate live set-up than ever. Anneke Kampman's arresting vocals remain measured (her words and elocution are crucial), but here they appeared to lead the songs, where once they interwove.
Her lyrical alliteration and replication performed a nigh-percussive role on the crackling groove of The Future Does Not Require and the burbling swoon of I'll Be Your Mirror, while the darkening sky for eerie aria Treehouse provided a glorious setting for spotting these iridescent, rising stars of Scottische pop.
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