You know you’re an oldster when you remember today’s latest fashions from the first time they came around. Nonetheless, despite my advanced decrepitude and obvious uncoolness (by virtue of being just, you know, old), I made it out of the nursing home on Monday night to see Twin Shadow‘s short but sweet gig @ Plaza.

It’s an easy, pleasant way to spend an evening with your loved one (it being Valentine’s Day and all). George Lewis Jr is all American ease and droll good humour as he works his way through his short set of chillwave pop. His band is earnest, if a little distant – his muscle-shirt wearing bass player is intense and focused, the top-knotted drummer looks to be in the throes of his own personal ecstasy as he thrashes away, and the beautiful woman playing synths behind the double deck of keyboards is suitably poised and skillful (I remember wearing her exact same look back in high school – long hair, fringe, dark lipstick, buttoned up white shirt…!).

While the 80s influence is obvious in the sometimes too-cheesy synths, Lewis’s tender vocals, agile guitar licks and deft lyrical turns lift the music up beyond the merely derivative. In a 45 minute set (he does, after all, have only one album behind him) he works his way through the entirety of his debut album Forget, beginning with the bittersweet, regretful ‘Tyrant Destroyed’, and moving on through the rest – ‘Slow’, ‘Yellow Balloon’ and ‘Forget’ are the other highlights.

The best part of the evening is saved for last, however, with the subtle romanticism of ‘Castles in the Snow’ and the edgier ‘Tether Beat’ making up the encore. With such a short set it’s hard to see where the tantalising glimpses of Bowie, Nile Rodgers and 80s new wave will lead, but for the moment it’s a perfect slice of 80s new romanticism tinged with smooth Brooklyn credibility.

Twin Shadow are finished all too soon and on the way out I pause to admire the surrounds. I think Plaza is my new favourite venue in Zurich. A beautiful art deco building with a luxe interior (red mood lighting, opulent bird paintings on the walls – read about the history of the building here), an entirely practical and sensible set-up (main floor recessed so that those standing further back can see over the heads of those at the front – being short, I appreciate these things), bars on the left and right sides of the room, couches at the back of the room for lounging. Nice work, Plaza people! I can’t wait to see Patrick Wolf here in April.

See pics from the gig here, and video here

Twin Shadow’s debut album Forget is out now on 4AD