Delorean

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The Balearic sound of the late '80s and early '90s might have taken its name from the Mediterranean club scene in which it was born, but it took a bunch of Brits to launch it into the mainstream. Pale types like Primal Scream, Happy Mondays and New Order travelled to Ibiza, took industrial quantities of drugs and then made sun-kissed masterpieces like Screamadelica, Pills, Thrills 'n' Bellyaches and Technique - albums which proved that euphoric piano bridges and indie rock guitars were a marriage made in heaven.

Now, two decades on, the Balearic sound has come home. Delorean hail from Zarautz, a seaside town in Spain, and their two most recent releases - last year's Ayrton Senna EP and this year's Subiza full-length - have helped define the summery beach party vibe that's characterised much of the past year's most enjoyable indie releases.

Delorean's music is probably best listened to on the white sands of a Mediterranean beach. The challenge for the band during their brief Friday night set at the Lexington was, therefore, how to successfully translate that summery sound to the first floor of a north London pub. It's a challenge the band met with ease.

Delorean started out as a straightforward indie rock act, and Subiza is actually their fourth studio album. They still bear vestiges of their former, more conventional sound. The band sets itself up in a standard rock formation: drum kit at the back, vocalist in the centre flanked by a guitarist and keyboard player. Singer/bassist Ekhi Lopetegi delivers his lines with a high-pitched earnestness that's almost emo-like. Apart from some enthusiastic pogo-ing from the keyboardist towards the end, the rest of the band go about their duties seriously and studiously.

What you get from Delorean the live band is essentially the Delorean recorded experience roughed up a little through the addition of a live rhythm section and the occasional rave horn. And it works very well: the band (and, lest we forget, the venue's sound mixers) do a good job of making sure that every element of Delorean's sound is present and correct, meaning that the house-y keyboards and samples aren't swallowed up by the bass and drums, nor vice versa.

The languid pace of opener Seasun gets heads bobbing appreciatively, but the faster paced likes of Real Love and Deli inspire full-blown dancing. By the time the house diva vocals and funky guitars of Grow kick in, Delorean have the crowd in their baggy pockets - there's even some crowdsurfing.

Delorean might eventually stage more ambitious shows than this. But, for the time being, they seem content to perform gigs that are a lot like regular rock shows, only loads more fun.