THE turn of the 21st century was a golden age for indie music and last night Southampton was given a gentle reminder of why that was.

Turin Brakes played The Brook in Portswood and brought with them their melodic folk style of guitar music.

On first impressions it may seem surprising to find them at such an intimate venue until you remember the UK charts has not been kind to this type of music in recent years.

However, ten years after their best known album, Ether Song, Turin Brakes have highlighted how recent chart success is not necessarily an indication of quality.

Promoting their latest album, We Were Here, the band ran through a wide ranging sample of their back catalogue, from their 2001 debut LP right up to their latest release.

The surprisingly soulful and soaring vocals of lead man Olly Knights lent a powerful yet gentle emotion to the set list which encompassed soft ballads to raw, energetic indie tunes.

The biggest reception was undoubtedly for Pain Killer (Summer Rain) which they surprisingly dropped in mid-set.

Other highlights were notably from their debut album, The Optimist LP, which was released 12 years ago.

Their newer material was well received but obviously there was a lack of familiarity from the crowd, which was to be expected.

There was a warm back-and-forth with the crowd throughout the show, with bassist Eddie Myer frequently grabbing the attention with some quick wit and a wide grin.

The show ended with the track Goodbye from the new album, which was dedicated to the late Lou Reed.

Following their final departure from the stage the crowd then shuffled out to the strains of Satellite of Love by the Velvet Underground star.

Despite being more than ten years since their best known song came out, Turin Brakes proved that although it may no longer be in vogue, indie music is still as important as ever.