Their name says it all. Arco, when written in a musical score, tells string players to use their bow rather than pluck with their fingers. To be gentle, not heavy-handed. So there will be no guitar smashing tonight, then. Not that the trio that takes to the odd surroundings of this tiny theatre look capable of such rock'n'roll behaviour. In fact Chris Healey, his identical twin Nick and Dave Milligan look more likely to refuse that overdraft you wanted.
They wear quizzical expressions as they look about. The stage still bears traces of the play that is currently being performed on other weeknights: there are reflecting stars dangling from the ceiling and a metallic Polaris missile in one corner.
"Thanks for coming to this truly bizarre setting," Chris Healey says chirpily. "I hope it won't be a bizarre evening." He settles in a chair, picks up his acoustic guitar and begins Speak, the opening track from Arco's upcoming debut album Coming to Terms, without any fuss. Chris sings this melancholy tale of failing love in a startlingly direct voice of uncomplicated woe. "How can I speak, you've taken all the words, nothing to say, when you know you can't be heard," he sighs, as Milligan's McCartney-esque bass plods and Nick Healey barely taps the drums.
This is low lo-fi: whispers of songs that are overheard for two minutes then fade away. But their brevity only adds to their power. The crowd - all 60 of us - wait for each note to disappear before daring to breathe and interrupt the awed silence. Which is strange considering the workmanlike approach the band themselves take. As they swap instruments and roam around the stage, Milligan with his bare feet and bowl haircut, Nick wearing his permanently glum expression, Chris jokes with the crowd and eases the intense atmosphere. "Do you want the downbeat one or the really downbeat one?" he smiles, gently playing another ode to heartbreak while his cohorts watch respectfully.
He is very much in control of events, but a less likely frontman would be hard to find. Or a finer observer of human frailities, capturing that moment just before the sun comes up and the big questions get asked. But while the lyrics are sharp, the music floats, inducing a calm sleepiness as it flows. An hour in Arco's company is the aural equivalent of a day in a flotation tank. It may take a bit of getting used to but you will feel better in the end.
***** Unmissable **** Recommended *** Enjoyable ** Mediocre * Terrible
