tAngerinecAt | Modulator ESP
Lending Room, Leeds
9th October 2025

Louder Than War’s Andy Brown heads to the Lending Room to watch tAngerinecAt deliver an intense and atmospheric performance.

I’d been hoping to see Ukrainian/ UK duo tAngerinecAt live ever since I first heard their sublime 2022 LP, Glass. It was one of those unique releases that just stopped me in my tracks. This year they released their seventh album – the rather brilliant Grief – and announced that they’d be taking their industrial-flavoured experimentation out on tour. Tonight, under the cover of a big yellow moon and with an autumnal chill in the air, they arrive at the Lending Room in Leeds.

First up, we get a set from one-man synth master Jez Creek, aka Modulator ESP. Sat behind a table chock-full of synths, pedals and pads, Creek delivers one continuous and ever-evolving electronic piece. Leaning into dark ambient territory, we’re plunged into a nocturnal world of deep drone.

It’s the kind of music that makes me wish I was lying on the grass outside, staring up at the moon. The kind of set that really takes you on a journey. Spooky, Coil-esque sounds sneak into the mix, and by the en,d it sounds like some triumphant, sci-fi soundtrack. Superb.

tAngerinecAt takes to the stage with Paul Chilton (they/them) stood behind a laptop and a keyboard, and Zhenia Purpurovsky (he/him) positioned behind a drum pad. The sonic exorcism begins with March of Mourn as Purpurovsky sings over a skeletal industrial beat: “Let me paint/ Let me paint/ Let me paint over this story forever.” There’s strength in the stillness when the singer stands motionless, drumsticks crossed against their chest. It’s such a singular sound, and the duo are intensely invested in every single moment.

It’s all about the atmosphere, the tension and the spaces between the sound. Indeed, there are moments of silence within the set when you can practically hear a pin drop. The lack of chatter between songs ensures the spell remains unbroken. Grief – the title track from their latest LP – begins with an a cappella vocal sung entirely in Ukrainian. The latter part of the song sounds like some cosmic funeral procession and – to my ears – invokes the beautiful Going Up by post-industrial legends Coil (I must really have them on my mind tonight).

During Cyhyraeth, Purpurovsky ventures to the front of the stage – drumsticks in hand – and engages in an intense, almost-ritualistic dance. The drones rumble and roll as he moves through the sound. After this, there’s a brief moment of respite and a round of applause from the assembled devotees. As the music subsides, I become acutely aware of my racing heartbeat. The duo specialises in the kind of intensity that really sneaks up on you.

The music is unquestionably dark and brooding, yet there’s a real sense of catharsis here too. The Irish Sea offers up one such moment of release while Fire burns with a tangible sense of rage and disgust. “I’m old/ And my roots are in the ocean/ Not a country or a nation,” Purpurovsky snarls over the songs industrial clang. Oh, and Chilton even adds a little flute to the experimental stew. The sound is distinctly contemporary yet somehow primordial. In the age of AI, it’s reassuring to be stood here listening to something so raw and real.

Freedom is propelled by a minimalistic beat and another admirably impassioned vocal performance from Purpurovsky. Again, the duo’s use of space and silence really amplifies the drama. Subaltern finds the singer spitting in the face of some would-be oppressor: “Who are you to tell me who I am? Who do you think you are to define me?” Anger, pride and defiance drip from every last word.

Gwyn ap Nudd – they explain – is a title pulled from Welsh mythology and serves as a symbol of transformation. What follows is a sheer wall of interstellar synths that drowns us in a tsunami of stars. Once again, I find myself going up.

It’s been an absolute pleasure to hear Grief delivered in its entirety. In fact, it’s so good, I genuinely want to go back to the start of the gig and do it all again. If you enjoy the more esoteric side of underground music and haven’t seen tAngerinecAt perform, then you really are missing out.

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You can find tAngerinecAt on Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp.

Modulator ESP is on Instagram and Bandcamp.

All photos by Jim Mumby | You can find him on Facebook and Instagram.

All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.