‘There’s one rule for my show,’ said L’Rain as sound samples of barking dogs emanated from the speakers either side of her. ‘You have to be here.’ Her call to live in the moment barely proved necessary; once her band draws you into its knotted fusion of soul, jazz, rock and funk, the spell she casts seems unbreakable. 

L’Rain, real name Taja Cheek, is touring in support of her superlative third album I Killed Your Dog, a genre-defying experimental work anchored by irresistible grooves and off-kilter lyrics. Where that album excelled in the sharpness of brevity, here each song is expanded into a series of fluid jam sessions. The nightmare-tinged lull of the album’s title track is shot through with sharp stabs of electric guitar fuzz, while brief indie rocker ‘Pet Rock’ is blown up into a trek through acid jazz landscapes. 

More accessible songs from the album such as ‘Uncertainty Principle’ and ‘5 To 8 Hours A Day (WWwaG)’ remain untouched by the full band’s desire to fuse and distort, their pop-soul edge providing a waypoint in the journey towards blissed-out decadence. Amidst the clamour are Cheek’s dynamite vocals, which soar in melodic beauty before breaking into a cacophonous scream or desperate yelp. An album and a live show are two very different beasts, and you won’t find tracks from I Killed Your Dog in their initial form. Instead, you’ll discover melodies and sounds that are ambitious and more invigorating than anything that can be committed to a recording. 

L’Rain is on tour until Sunday 25 February; reviewed at The Hug And Pint, Glasgow.