Mondegreen Trio at Sink Pong Blueberry Bar

The refreshingly talented up-and-coming band Mondegreen Trio will have one believe they play folk music, however, at Sink Pong Blueberry Bar in Shoreditch they proved how diverse a group they can be. It is true that folk music is their inspiration, except they have crafted their own variety of it: a melodious blend of guitar and voices singing in perfect harmonies, in what is truly a hauntingly moving sound (think Fleet Foxes meets The Staves).

Amidst the simple inviting ambience of a few coloured spotlights on the intimate stage in this trendy Shoreditch bar, Mondegreen Trio introduced their opener, and latest single, Sandcastles, which epitomises succinctly their sound: vocal harmonies accompanied by soothing guitar. Their music grabs you, but it’s their masterful songwriting and lyrics that really capture. Tracks like Brother and Watch Over You are crowd-pleasers, beginning soft and slow before building to an explosion of rhythm and energy, and enraptured applause.

It’s songs like Grace and Kaleidoscope that cement the group’s place as a serious talent to watch. The former, a rhetorical question to a lover, with a single guitar, a tambourine, and three men pouring their hearts out stylishly through their microphones; and the latter, their finishing number: a wildly emotive feel-good tune, fixing a nostalgic eye at youth, that brings about two things: goosebumps and approval.

Not buying into the modern music trend of ambiguous band names, Mondegreen Trio consists of just that: a trio. Adam Gillian, Sam Firth, and Gonçalo Almeida, all exceptional musicians in their own right, lend their collective expertise to craft songs with meaning. Their personalities are joyous and humorous, and their music vividly entertaining, making them a band to watch in the coming years.

Bill Kacir
Photo: Ellie Helm

For further information and future events visit the Mondegreen Trio Facebook page here.

Listen to Sandcastles here: