Japanese Television are not Japanese, not a Television tribute act, and play instrumental psychedelic garage surf krautrock (if there is such a thing).

Last night I cycled to the steamy cauldron of the MOTH Club in Hackney to see Japanese Television with my chum and fellow scribe David Stubbs.

They’re not, as Stubbsy (and several others) initially imagined, a Television tribute act from Japan. They are based in London and describe themselves, tongues firmly in cheek, as the “UK’s No.2 space-surf band.”

Tongues in cheek because they are definitely No.1.

Since I last saw them at the Shacklewell Arms a few years back they have lost and gained a bass guitarist (female, French), and their already expansive sound has broadened into an immersive storm of psychedelic noise.

Their influences are as obvious as they are diverse – the motorik rhythms Neu! and experimentation of Can, the primal grind of ’60s garage rock like the Seeds and Sonics, the psychedelic space rock of Circle and Hawkwind, and the twangy guitars of surf-rock bands like The Surfaris and Trashmen.

Stick ’em all together, mangle them through pedals and keyboards, stir in some peyote, and you’ll have an idea of how they sound, all four of them – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards – playing an equal part in the maelstrom they create.

The aforementioned French bassist, Eléa, takes centre-stage and so does her instrument, creating lead melodies while Al Brown’s drums maintain a relentless rhythm, guitarist Tim Jones conjures fuzzy lines of distortion that never outstay their welcome, and Ian Thorn’s keyboards swirl and swell like a strong current.

Did I mention that they’re instrumental? They are instrumental, which gives them a slight vibe of Khruangbin as well. And who doesn’t love them?!