The omens were not good.

Slow ticket sales and moving the gig from Hall 4 in the SECC had the doom-mongers predicting failure. They were wrong.

The overall line-up was a reasonable reflection of Scotland’s popular musical talent, ranging across rock, pop, classical and traditional. With one honourable exception, the acts playing in the Armadillo represented those whose careers had peaked in the 1980s. The exception was the impressive young talent that is Tommy Reilly, winner of the Orange Unsigned Act prize, who strolled out in front of a couple of ­thousand punters and played a blinder.

And so did everybody else. From the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who exploded into their pipes and rock’n’roll thing to open proceedings, through Hue and Cry, whose cover of Two Little Boys, dedicated to the troops in Afghanistan, was a completely unexpected highlight, to Lloyd Cole, reunited with a couple of Commotions for the evening, crooning his way through Rattlesnakes, there wasn’t a duff moment all night. The Bluebells, slightly greyer but still rocking, were the first to get the crowd on their feet with Young at Heart. Midge Ure came on to a hero’s welcome and received a standing ovation for a set featuring Fade to Grey, Vienna and Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Across in the Lomond Suite, Dougie MacLean played through the effects of celebrating his award for Caledonia, a song that could have been written for this event. Eddie Reader’s set was a joy from start to finish.

Deacon Blue brought it to a close in heroic fashion. They ended their set with Walking Back Home, a beautiful and entirely appropriate ending to a splendid evening.

Star rating: *****