Judging by the half-empty Hot Press venue, Dublin hasn't yet cottoned on to this fine foursome from Austin, Texas. Those who were there, however, were treated to a veritable feast of exuberant guitar-pop, fuelled by singer Richard Harrison's unashamed passion for 1960s Britpop, particularly the sound of a certain band of Liverpudlian moptops.
Besuited and Chelsea-booted, and looking like a cross between Austin Powers and Jeff Beck, Harrison leads the band through the opening flash of Aurora Bori Alice, the first of many shimmering, near-perfect pop tunes. There's no mistaking the Beatle streak in Harrison's voice, but there's no arguing with the individuality of songs such as She's Only Cool, Homefront Cameo and Camp Hill Rail Operator.
While the Fab Four are the obvious starting point for Cotton Mather, their music travels further afield, reaching the riffage of The Pixies in Church Of Wilson, and slipping into Squeeze mode for Password. The current, acclaimed album, Kontiki, gets much of the spotlight, Vegetable Row easily eclipsing Ocean Colour Scene's cabbage-water pop, and My Be- fore And After proving that The La's weren't the last to capture that certain 1960s essence.
"You've got five minutes to change the world", shouted a heckler, but Cotton Mather don't need a revolution - if they keep weaving that pure pop sound, they might just free a few minds instead.
