It's unfair to say The Sunshine Social remind you of Mumford and Sons just because one of them has a mandolin.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say that at the beginning of their set the Glasgow six-piece sound like the idea of Mumford and Sons: their opener has the same winsomely uplifting feel, right down to the softly accompanied verses giving way to a melodic, euphoric breakdown.
Once the preliminaries are over, things get a bit more frenetic. It seems as if there's a bit too much going on at times, as if all six of them want to have a go on their instruments at once.
There are probably two or three great songs in the set; it's just that they're all being played at the same time. Unsurprisingly the older material sounds a little more self-assured, and there's even a bit of a singalong before the loud, percussive finale.
The announcement over Christmas that Kitty the Lion were about to begin recording their long-awaited debut album was a lovely surprise. It might have taken them years to reach the studio properly, but from the sound of it they've wisely used that time to grow into one of the most confident-sounding bands in the city. Midnight Lion's Stewart Brock has added keyboards and glorious three-part harmonies to the mix, giving Anna Meldrum's wickedly poetic lyrics about chubby girls and cold fish boys the perfect pop setting they deserve.
The difference the keyboard makes is most obvious on new song, Dear Heart. There's almost a dance-pop element to the choruses, while the verses come across like somebody's been listening to the title track to Taylor Swift's Red. 2013 deserves to be the Year of the Kitty.
HHH
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