These mighty tracks add a great dynamic to the evening as they culminate in a controlled wall of elongated guitar. The set doesn’t just comprise of new material, Classics such as ‘Tibetan Pop Stars’ and ‘The Knock’ are propelled at the crowd for a much more immediate middle section. With the former just being a downright ear pleaser. The latter sounds like a hazy fond memory, sonically sending you to times spent with friends. They begin their set with songs from the new album, ‘How Simple’ and ‘Somewhere A Judge’. Hop Along seem as happy to play as I am to watch them, with drummer Mark Quinlin excitedly pointing at members of the crowd during off-beat moments in tracks with huge grins, while guitarist Joe Reinhart and multi-instrumentalist Chrissy Tashjian boogie around the stage. I have been giddy with excitement to see this band live for even longer.

It is an album to put you in a Summer mood no matter what season you’re in, and I’ve been listening to it Spring through Winter since its release in April. It reminds me of the latest Paramore album. Their new direction is also a lot more pop-funk. A delivery that flickers between honeyed, raspy, passionate and half broken, a voice that’s hard to pin down and so individual to Frances.

The distinctive vocals of Frances Quinlan, characterising their earlier work has stayed. They have dropped some of the older pretension for a superbly enjoyable and listenable experience. The interesting song structures and intertwining melodies have been brought forward in the mix and are less rough around the edges. They have side-lined their previous DIY and low-fi sounding ethos for a tighter result. With their latest release, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, Hop Along have forged a more mature and glossy album compared to their earlier works.

Tibetan pop stars