Poised on the ever-encroaching, although still unspecified, date of their album launch, The Bank Holidays are presenting their most assured front yet. In the past they have been confident and talented, yet at times kinda loose, spraying their harmonies a little wide or committing other minor flubs as the result of tackling complex and layered gestures in their spires of pop. This night, though, they appeared very much on song. The harmonies were rock solid, singer Nat Carson’s middle part, always difficult and sometimes elusive, was bang on the head the entire time, I didn’t notice any screw ups, and that can be used as a measure of their form.

There was an air of pure ability emanating from the band, the kind that imbues a relaxed strum with the power of bursting light, and these days the Bank’s oeuvre is so deep that they can perform a whole set of songs with such moments in them. ‘Teaching Pupils’ and ‘This Elated Height’ were cracking, relatively straightforward highlights from the set, but ‘Two Questions’, the first radio single from their album, and a highlight to boot, proved to be equally lovable live, and shines a torch on their very promising future territory.

by Matt Giles