Squid games

Downbeat, dancey, art music from Brigton and serene tunes from a Prince.

- GRAHAM REID

Squid, out of Brighton, are in the British tradition of outlier bands working beyond a specific genre but pulling from many.

The lineage runs from early Pink Floyd and Soft Machine in the 1960s through post-punk (The Pop Group, This Heat, Rip Rig + Panic) to, more recently, The Beta Band and last year's enjoyably bewildering The New Sound by Geordie Greep of Black Midi.

You're often not sure what these idiosyncratic artists are about but the ride is worth the admission price.

Squid's 2021 debut Bright Green Field sprung off influences from German bands like Faust, Neu! and Can in its undulating rhythms and monotone, but also had echoes of The Fall, Pere Ubu and Talking Heads.

In Britain it was in many "best of the year" selections. Here, it barely made a ripple, despite being on the credible Warp label alongside Brian Eno, Flying Lotus and Battles.