There are some bands for whom playing the top room of a pub is no problem at all. Loud, raucous rock ’n’ rollers don’t have to worry about punters chatting or shouting into their mobile phones; they can just turn their amps up and blast the gossip-mongery away.

Some bands, though, demand attention. And not attention in the way Lady Gaga or Marilyn Manson demand attention. In this case you actually have to listen intently to the band or you’ll get nothing out of the gig. Acts like Bright Eyes or The xx, whose music is unimposing and not especially arresting, once you’ve allowed yourself to concentrate on them, can become much more important to you then any stomping rock band.

Nate Kinsella, or Birthmark as he’s chosen to be known, epitomises this style. Given that the Jericho is indeed the top room of a noisy pub, Kinsella and his three-piece band, which includes his wife, struggle a bit to win over the chatter, but, by the time they finish their 45-minute set, everyone is listening.

Kinsella’s outfit play most of the songs from their new album Shaking Hands, each of which is a brittle, delicate long song. Even with the pub noise, the space between the instruments in Kinsella’s compositions is very striking. He allows drum fills to drift aimlessly, and violins and clarinets to come in and out at will; he sings only when he feels it necessary, never under pressure to bulk up passages with hooks or hand claps, just happy to let it sink in gently to the crowd. Fossil Record and Balloons, in particular, take their time to build, each lasting for almost six minutes, but without any filler left in.

The songs may be raw, delicate and skeletal in structure, but Birthmark have a way of pulling you in gently with their lulling melodies. By the time they put down their instruments, the room is captivated.