Events like the Summer Nights programme at King Tut's always display a variety of bands, some further along the line than others.
Of this year's crop, So Many Animal Calls appear fully developed, from the confident manner they rattled through their songs, singer Sean McKenna beating his chest, to the fact they have a dedicated enough fanbase who hushed themselves instantly during quieter moments.
There weren't too many of those, with a set that touched upon the modern Scottish rock landmarks of Biffy Clyro and Twin Atlantic. There were quiet and loud passages, emotive vocals and bursts of noise that suggested post-rock, mixed with enough power pop to suggest they're a viable bet for mainstream success.
Thankfully, the music is more than just rehashing the work of others, with We Sleep Back a bouncing, punchy number and She Was Speaking From The Bottom Of The Sea blessed with some delightful shimmering guitars. A shame, then, that some difficulties with an amp not only halted matters briefly but also interrupted the gig's momentum.
McKenna's vocals suffered from a more persistent problem, sounding a little lost in the mix when the noise levels went up, and the second half of the group's set was sluggish, although the mighty conclusion of Broken Antlers provided thunderous evidence of what they can offer.
Vocal difficulties had hampered Baltimore League earlier in the night, too. The quartet featured three vocalists at times, yet all tended to be totally drowned out when the noise went up, and their alt-rock at its loudest was a little stodgy. A shame, as some of their underlying melodies are sweet.
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