With support from Sunnbrella, an equally moody but more pop-leaning British counterpart, this Wednesday saw Texas-based alt-rock band Glare bring a bit of that Rio Grande sunshine to the Ouseburn. It's easy to sum up a band like Glare to alternative rock fans just by mentioning the word “shoegaze”. But to the uninitiated, Glare will scratch an itch for those who prefer the atmospheric, dream-like side of alt-rock, with similar bands including My Bloody Valentine, Whirr and Slowdive. But don’t let this label frighten you. Wednesday’s audience looked like the table arrangement in American high school movies. The Emos, the Nerds, the Jocks, the Rockers, (the young aspiring journalists…) and not a single person not in their element. Since the departure of Christian Resendez in recent months, guitarist Toni Ordaz has stepped up to the role of lead vocalist. Backed by second guitarist Cesar Izaguirre, bassist Homero Izaguirre and drummer Jes Morales, Ordaz’ poignant lyrics and melancholy delivery this Wednesday saw the singer quash any doubts as to whether or not he is the man for the job. That is if you could catch his singing beneath the wall of warm fuzz, heavy distortion and truly on-point drumming. It is commonly said of shoegaze bands that it is a genre best enjoyed when listening with headphones. I disagree. It’s a lot more fun to hear bouncing off the Cluny walls, especially when that band is Glare.

Tom Livesey