Lux Lisbon, Mecanica Clasica, et Jemina

I first came across Lux Lisbon's unique brand of sophisticated indie rock/pop last year and was delighted to hear they were including a Scottish date on their current tour. We were lucky to arrive early enough to catch Charlie giving her debut performance as 'Kite Strings'. It was a real privilege to be among the first people to hear some beautifully crafted songs sung with such openness - vulnerability even. And boy can Charlie play guitar! I hope we get to hear more from this project.
Next up the main support act, Made as Mannequins, with jangly guitar pop tunes to bring a touch of sunshine to a cold April night in Glasgow. Im a big fan of bands singing in their own accents instead of a cod American drawl, and MaM do this to good effect. I'm no expert but I'd imagine the future is bright for these lads.
Bearing in mind it was a Thursday night, and Lux Lisbon do all their own publicity a decent sized crowd had gathered in Stereo's basement venue by the time they hit the stage. What can I say? My expectations were high but Lux Lisbon well and truly exceeded them. This is a band that clearly gives 100% to their live performances, and how they manage to be so polished when they're spread across the country beats me. The fact that they were obviously having a great time playing together definitely rubbed off on the crowd. Stu's catchy pop tunes had people dancing and it was a real treat to hear his intelligent, often thought provoking lyrics delivered live and with such passion. The combination of Charlie and Stu's very different vocals is just gorgeous! The Bowie tribute was a nice touch too.
My advice would be go and see them now whilst they're playing small intimate venues because it's surely only a matter of time before they go on to bigger things.