1 They’re fleet
You should see the five band members in their tracksuits, doing the hundred yard dash. Actually, the distinctly un-athletic looking band from the Seattle suburbs look as if they couldn’t walk up a hill slowly without reaching for the inhaler, so scratch that.

2 They’re foxes
Not the four-legged, chicken-bothering kind, but the FF guys, while not exactly a band of Brad Pitts, are considered in some alt.folk indie circles as cute, scratchy beards, lank hair, lumberjack shirts and all.

3 They’re brilliant
OK, let’s get serious, the band’s eponymous debut album was one of the finest of last year, at once reminiscent of 40 years of American folk and blues and instantly new-sounding. It topped many end of year polls, and prompted the Guardian to call it ‘a landmark in American music, an instant classic’.

4 They’re harmonious
Recent live shows demonstrated the band’s wonderful way with melody and particularly harmonies, their five-part singing reminiscent of vintage Beach Boys.

5 They’re independent
Like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys before them, Fleet Foxes have proven you can have breakthrough commercial success on an indie record label, in their case the marvellous Bella Union here in Britain and the awesome Sub Pop in America. Platinum records and Brit Award nominations – take that, The Man!

O2 Academy, Glasgow, Tue 8 Sep.