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Mar 17, 2010 By Laura Studarus Photography by Laura Studarus A Sunny Day in Glasgow

Apply named, A Sunny Day in Glasgow‘s sound is not unlike a piercing beam of light. Minimal exposure to the Philly-based sextet’s ethereal blend of shoegazing theatrics, dueling female vocals, and reverb (oh the reverb!), and you might be left believing that they are capable of lighting up a gloomy Scottish city, brightening up a generic cloudy day, or shining in dark and overstuffed Los Angeles bar. If Rainbow Brite was a hipster, you know this is exactly the type of music she’d be listening to.

While failing to achieve sound levels equal to the glorious cacophony of their newest LP, Ashes Grammar (The Mint’s sound system, I’m sure, thanks them), ASDIG managed to maintain a surprisingly intricate sonic balance as members shuffled between keyboards, guitars, and tambourines. Their exuberance? Palpable. Their banter? Negligible. (“We drove in today from Davis! And…that’s the whole story!”) Like a ASDIG album, their performance seemed to fly by in a slipstream of color and sonic textures, lead by the driving beats of drummer Adam Herndon and bassist Ryan Newmyer.

After the world’s weakest call for an encore (Come on guys, if Rainbow Brite was there she wouldn’t have been too cool to clap!) The band obliged with a cover-set. The ladies of ASDIG, Annie Fredrickson and Jen Goma, emerged first to perform an impressive a cappela cover of Vashti Bunyan’s “Diamond Day.” After a brief pause, the men joined them to perform a surprisingly straightforward interpretation of, bar-friendly Fleetwood Mac jam, “Everywhere.” A surprising end to a night of strong originals? Sure. But judging by the faces of fellow attendees, I wasn’t the only one who saw the light.

(www.asunnydayinglasgow.com)