Sunday night saw the family outfit Kitty, Daisy and Lewis take to the stage at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds in support of their long awaited new album – Smoking In Heaven. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis sprang to fame a few years back with their endlessly danceable rockabilly album that sounded like it should have been recorded decades ago, and not by a trio of youngsters from London-town, and with the backing of Rob da Bank’s Sunday Best label, won over the hearts of every retro-loving music fan in the land. The retro-image doesn’t stop at slicked back hair and a love of banjos however – the band release all their music on a variety of vinyl formats, and their new album is available in an old-style 78rpm 10” vinyl in a 1950’s hard-backed record album; it’s the sort of dedication that makes me think none of them own iPods and must make all their calls on Bakelite phones. They were supported by guitar and double bass duo Spirit of John who came straight from the dampness of Rough Beats Festival to play an entertaining set of folk-rockabilly before the siblings took to the stage accompanied by their dad on guitar and mum on double bass.

The problem I have with seeing bands who are touring with a new album is that I always end up mildly disappointed – I basically wish to hear the last album and inevitably haven’t listened enough to the new record to fully appreciate the set. I haven’t heard an awful lot of Smoking in Heaven, but KDL managed to balance the new and old songs enough to keep me happy. Guest musician Tan-Tan of the Skalites joined the trio on stage to show a diversity of the band that was refreshing to see – just when you think that all this band are capable of is quaint rockabilly, they whip out a splash of dancehall/ska that keeps you dancing. The highlight for me was new single ‘Messin with my Life’, which is unashamingly a summer pop song; yeh it’s obvious, but Kitty, Daisy and Lewis do it so well that I don’t mind at all.

New single – Messin with My Life, released 27th June