KEY POINTS:
A winter wind might have been whistling up Queen St but, inside, it felt like summer was on rewind with each chiming tune.
That was the effect of The Magic Numbers, a Brit band of two brother-sister pairs - frontman guitarist Romeo and bassist Michele Stodart; keyboardist-singer Angela and drummer Sean Gannon - who made a splash in 2005 with their exuberant self-titled debut album and followed it up late last year with the less-giddy Those The Brokes.
In between, they had put in a Big Day Out appearance - memories of which probably helped the healthy turnout at the St James Theatre.
And it appears they are becoming even more intriguing as a band, bending and blending their influences - which suggest a heavy diet of 1960s West Coast pop - while still sounding and looking quite like nothing the British music scene has produced in recent times.
While their rich harmony vocals set the Numbers apart and were quite gorgeous on the night - especially on the Romeo/Angela vocal tag-team numbers like the soul-shaped Undecided or I See You, You See Me - what most surprised about the set was how much rock 'n' roll grunt was behind the popcraft.
That was even when it wasn't all going to plan. On opener This Is A Song, Romeo's guitar gear quit just as it had done when the band played on Close Up the other night. But with the deft aggressive bassplaying of his hair-flinging sister, the song didn't lack for power. And while having a gremlin attack on your first song would have sent many a musician into a mood, Romeo shrugged it off and kept up his goofy grin almost all night long.
It was just the start of what was soon to become a spellbinding show, one of infectious enthusiasm and sheer radiant melodicism delivered with punch and panache - whether they were unleashing chugging powerpop on the likes of You Never Had It or taking it up a few notches and coming on like a punk-paced Fleetwood Mac on the likes of Runnin' Out.
Thankfully it wasn't all summery toe-tappers. There was the occasional autumnal ballad too. But the night's biggest rock thrills came near the end with psychedelic epic Hymn to Her complete with swings between delicate xylophone figures from the sisters, hushed voices and guitar dramatics. It showed a depth which suggests the Magic Numbers' elaborate pop should endure for a fair few summers yet.
