Canadian band Mother Mother brought their heavy yet mellow vibes live to the Welsh capital, selling out Cardiff Students Union’s Great Hall room. Meeting with huge success on TikTok, the alternative rock quintet prove exactly why they’ve become so popular here tonight.

Exactly how much success do Mother Mother have online? Well, to date they’ve racked up around seven billion global streams, and four billion plays on YouTube; you’ll have likely heard songs of theirs such as Hayloft or It’s Alright if you’re an avid TikToker, the group currently boasting nearly three million followers on the platform. Small wonder tickets for their UK tour have sold like hotcakes.

The band don’t leave the crowd hanging, either – starting the show abruptly with Arms Tonite before rolling out another smash on streams, Hayloft II. A brace of big hitters to start with, they could have found it hard to live up to with the remainder of their set – but they absolutely did.

A few more songs down the line they launch into Problems; operative word for this song? Lights. The band’s light show is especially outstanding here – rich in colour, finely calibrated to the beats and ambitious enough to make the show feel like it was taking place in a considerably larger venue than was the case.

Calming the set down midway with an acoustic portion, Mother Mother closed out with a six-song medley of their hits to ensure they were able to play as many as the audience wanted to hear. Ending with It’s Alright, from an audience perspective that song title sells them short: the set’s 24-song span added up to something incredible. If these British Columbian rockers hit Wales again on their next trip this side of the pond, I’ll be first in line to grab a ticket.

Mother Mother, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Mon 4 Mar

words and photos CHLOE JACKSON-NOTT