STRINGS Bar and Venue in Newport provided the backdrop for a pulsating evening of blues-rock last Friday, as Doncaster based three-piece Bang Bang Romeo ensured that foundations were — literally and figuratively — throbbing, setting the scene for dishevelled dancing with a series of ear-splitting anthems.

Brimming with uncorseted charisma, front woman Anastasia ‘Stars’ Walker’s breathlessly emotive performance had an initially reticent audience in raptures by the end of opening song Shame on You, with the intimate setting ensuring the alluring artist was within touching distance of those furthest forward.

The show, promoted by Island based Chalkpit Records, coincided with the band’s debut LP release, A Heartbreaker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which soared to number four in the iTunes alternative album chart on Friday, remaining inside the top ten at the time of writing.

Intoxicating themes Chemical and Bag of Bones were interspersed by bouts of interaction and a string of sultry ballads such as Adore Me that conveyed a hitherto camouflaged vulnerability.

Coerced by an increasingly candid throng, Anastasia attempted to quaff a can of water in one hit — dribbling at least quarter of the contents onto her gothic garments — before triumphantly stating “they make us tough in Yorkshire.”

Percussionist Richard Gartland demonstrated his mathematical prowess when given a series of, at times, convoluted equations during one rhythmic recess, striking the exact number of beats requested by audience members while most in attendance were counting fingers and toes, culminating in a 96-beat denouement at breakneck speed.

Following the gig, a glistening Stars said: “It’s great to be back on the Island. John Giddings invited us back and we can never say no to John who’s been such a big supporter and friend of us.

“We didn’t have any expectations with the album, we just woke up hoping friends and family would love it.

"Then we got a message saying we were number 17 in the chart, we assumed it was going to go south from there, then we were number nine, and now number four, with only Billie Eilish, Stereophonics and Lewis Capaldi above us.

“The Island has become a second home to us, whenever there’s an option to come back we always take it.”

She remained coy on a possible Isle of Wight Festival appearance next year, the group having appeared on the main stage and recorded an acoustic set in 2018, with a subsequent high-octane show in a crammed Big Top at the 2019 event.

The Bang Bang Romeo experience is one that is meant to be witnessed live.

Having toured with Pink earlier this year, the sky appears to be the limit for an exciting trio who remain charming and humble despite their growing notoriety and swelling fanbase.