Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes first appeared in 2006, alongside a clutch of other bands led by boy/girl vocals, including the Subways and Sons and Daughters. Sparky and fun as both those were, Blood Red Shoes from the outset seemed to have some more about them.

With Laura-Mary Carter’s stark, distorted guitar riffs and Steve Ansell’s powerful drumming the band brought to mind Fugazi, vintage Pixies and early PJ Harvey. An energetic whirlwind of riot grrll punk and post punk time signatures, the band mixed a muscular musicality with lyrics that emitted anger, mistrust and vulnerability.

After signing fairly quickly, they released their debut album Box of Secrets in 2007. It did modestly well — enough for their label to allow them to record a second effort, Fire Like This in March of this year.

Back on tour in support of their new record, the band begin their set as they always have, with a staccato guitar riff, quickly joined by a clatter of thunderous percussion and the opening bars of It’s Getting Boring By The Sea, galloping into life, they then go on to deliver a relentlessly brutal set.

Split equally between material from both their albums, they rattle through their hour long set at a furious pace. High points are the ferocious I Wish I Was Someone Better, a chilling Light It Up and a terrifying intense version of It Is Happening Again.

Constantly fixing each other with piercing gazes, the duo seem to feed off each other’s energy, spuring themselves on to play harder and faster.

Returning for a bruising encore, they end their set as they began it, with Carter’s distorted guitar drenching feedback over the audience and Ansell’s mighty mitts clattering to an almighty crescendo, the sold-out crowd absolutely love it.

Sparky and explosive, Blood Red Shoes will fill much bigger halls than this one.