Soccer Mommy @ QMU, Glasgow, 24 Sep

Susan Bear start things off with their excellent kaleido-pop stylings, but it's quickly apparent that despite solid individual performances, the mix just can't keep up with the sound, leading to gloopy vocals and a samey vibe throughout.

Unfortunately, it's an issue that continues during Soccer Mommy's set too. Despite all the trappings of a solid show, there's a niggling feeling that something is just off. The main issue is that the drums are too loud – a common problem that can be quickly rectified or at least mitigated, but tonight it just sort of lingers... It perhaps doesn't help that drummer Rollum Haas is the most magnetic performer, throwing out flamboyant fills with the panache of a frontperson while Sophie Allison is left struggling to be heard.

Soccer Mommy on stage at the Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow. Photo: Elliot Hetherton 

There are a couple of nice flourishes that still don't break through the slightly tense vibe: coming out to Orange Juice's Rip it Up which leaves the crowd oddly unmoved, the cover of Pavement's Here that has much the same effect. This is followed by a solo rendition of Still, which is one of the best examples of what the whole night could have been, when Allison's vocals ring out cleanly and demonstrate her talent as both songwriter and vocalist.

yellow is the color of her eyes sounds good as it allows a lengthier instrumental workout, and Your Dog benefits from the crowd's backing vocals, but even Allison's brief snippets of chat feel perfunctory – partially from a lack of intelligibility, but also a sense of going through the motions. Soccer Mommy are yet to make a poor album, so it's a shame that such brilliant songs struggle to manifest as they should tonight.