INDIE POP

The performance space (calling it a stage would be a stretch of the imagination) at Glasgow’s newest nightspot The Flying Duck is obviously far from ideal – not least because of the sizeable pillar obscuring your view of it in part. Granted, there’s not much can be done about that, but making musicians play practically in the dark too is just cruel. For lack of lighting, Swedish singer-songwriter Kattparaden was barely even visible at her piano, although to be brutally honest, it probably suited her generally featureless folkish numbers quite well.

Ladybird – a fluid, winsome indie-pop collective hailing from France and New Zealand – at least thought to bring their own illumination, in the shape of that twee essential: fairylights. They also brightened up the evening with a whole lot of honest glee, their jangly, joyous tunes owing plenty to such similarly fey sorts as Belle and Sebastian and fellow Gallic popsters Herman Düne, amongst others.

There’s not much about their songs that’s especially memorable, but the band’s attitude was certainly infectious. While they probably won’t set the world on fire, they’ll certainly have a good time trying to get the matches to light.