Wet Wet Wet

Wet Wet Wet

BBC at Pacific Quay, Glasgow

Marianne Gunn

Standing with two Wet Wet Wet super fans (who were at The Big Day in Glasgow back in 1990), the 30-plus female demographic for this free, ticketed BBC event was clear. A beautiful night for an open-air gig, Marti Pellow and Co took the stage as the sun decided to make its final appearance, and, thanks to the stillness of the evening, the sound produced was far superior to their pretty ropey Glasgow Green appearance in 2012.

From the outset, the set was full of crowd pleasers: Wishing I Was Lucky was followed by Sweet Little Mystery before Angel Eyes trumped then both. Pellow hit all the right notes, frequently at length, as he shimmied during numbers and made eyes at the roving cameras. Dressed in ripped jeans, sunglasses and with his chiselled jawline looking even more well defined than usual, Pellow was the star attraction. However, he thanked the Commonwealth Games' organisers for inviting them along, congratulated Team Scotland's Bowls team and even did an impromptu Highland Fling with a large, pliable Clyde, the Games mascot.

Temptation and Somewhere, Somehow nicely showed off the talents of the band, as did Sweet Surrender, before Goodnight Girl, Julia Says and Lip Service brought the set to a close. Reflecting on the opening ceremony, Pellow observed that Tunnock's Teacakes are a lifestyle choice, while he joked about his vegetarian status when he inadvertently swallowed a fly.

The ChildLine's fundraising version of With A Little Help From My Friends and 1994's Love Is All Around made up the demanded encore, and congratulations should also go to BBC Scotland for creating a most welcoming and compact live zone, perfect for a little musical nostalgia on the banks of the River Clyde.

A version of this review appeared in later editions of yesterday's Herald