2:54

In Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams's character renders a killer paint-by-numbers version of a Winslow Homer-style work, yet manages to add a little panache. It's pretty despite its familiarity (and Will's objections). Similarly, London outfit 2:54's shoegaze shtick recalls many of the genre's heavyweights (Ride, My Bloody Valentine, etc.), but incorporates a dash of 1990s indie rock while ignoring much of the recent dream pop accoutrements (see Asobi Seksu). Writ live, the results were at once familiar and mesmeric, especially when singer Colette Thurlow launched into her Elaine Benes-meets-Axl Rose dance. Her sister Hannah's lassoing guitar melodies and the rhythm section's disconcertingly steady pacing and claustrophobic bass work all helped make for an utterly enthralling, increasingly captivating set.