As many did at this time, Mystery Jets arrived in a flash with couple of iconic indie hits in 2008. Now in 2024 they are one of the great survivors of the landfill indie era. It is with great credit to frontman Blaine Harrison that he has been able to keep the band at the forefront of British indie pop while also managing his own personal health challenges.
Petty Drone
With recent additions to the band on guitar and bass, there was no lack of tightness in the performances. They opened with the pounding ‘Petty Drone’. The track demonstrated their psychedelic influences with the fuzzy guitars and swirling harmonies of the chorus.
After ‘Flash a Hungry Smile’, Harrison confirmed that the band are continuing to work on new material. He invited the crowd to send them ideas for a song title for the unreleased and untitled track they would go onto showcase.
Young Love
Harrison promised that there would be more opportunities for the crowd to dance after soaring through the delicate ‘Bombay Blue’. ‘Bubblegum’, also from ‘Curve Of The Earth’ lifted the crowd, but it was the next songs in the set which really kick-started the party atmosphere.
They had resisted delving into their iconic 2008 album ‘Twenty One’ until now. However the sound of the iconic opening riff of ‘Young Love’ received the loudest cheer of the set. The crowd quickly obliged Harrison’s request to fill in for the parts sung on the single by Laura Marling.
Two Doors Down
Up next was another hit single from this album, ‘Two Doors Down’. The delicate lyrics of a teenage crush and the impossibly catchy chorus lines were irresistible in the fading sunshine at Temple Newsam.
To close out the set was ‘Someone Purer’ from 2012’s ‘Radlands’. Building from an intricate guitar line into one last opportunity for a belting chorus, it was a reminder that the Mystery Jets’ qualities lie beyond the 2008 hits that they remain known for.
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