Live Review: Middle Kids, Morning TV, Brightness

Brightness, moniker of Alex Knight, graced the stage first this evening, indulging us in what could only be described as the breathy falsetto of your dreams. Knight's delicate vocals and acoustic guitar were accompanied by a full band, creating some serious lo-fi, indie vibes with a touch of '90s throwback. Their stage presence came across as a little nervous, but the crowd seemed genuine in their applause.

The venue was filling out for Morning TV, who served up some sunny guitar pop. Our bodies couldn't say no to their reverb drenched sounds, as they injected a playful energy into the room - bolstered by Tim Cumming's Bunnings shirt. Single Golden was a standout; Brit Ward's dream pop vocals backed by a luscious and warm soundscape were ethereal.

Oh boy, have Middle Kids seen some hype over the past year. But you know what, the three-piece deserve every bit of attention they've received, and selling out Oxford Art Factory not once, but twice (with just one EP under their belt) must be telling for some of that.

The band kicked off with Your Love before introducing Old River. Expertly led by Hannah Joy's familiar twang and palpable, enthusiastic stage presence, they burnt through their EP tracks before previewing forthcoming album tracks, of which Mistake was this reviewer's pick.

The boys fled the stage while Joy performed introspective Doing It Right, which she explained was about the internal struggle of being a good person and doing life right.

Expectantly, Edge Of Town was triumphant and inevitably got the biggest audience singalong, with Never Start being chosen to close.

An encore was called for and Tim Fitz came out wielding a pedal steel guitar and, together with Joy and her guitar, played heartfelt Put It All Out On The Line to conclude what was a faultless set.