Music

Stornoway,

Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow

Jonathan Geddes

four stars

THE END of their career is nigh, and Stornoway were unassuming to the last. Their singer Brian Briggs announced the group would be around for “goodbye hugs” after this farewell show and there was a genuine sense of connection between band and crowd here, including old pictures being shown onscreen like holiday snaps before the show started.

The Oxford foursome (joined by two extra musicians on strings, brass and other instruments) might never have exploded into mainstream consciousness but their followers fell for them hard. Not many bands could open so quietly, with the violin of The Coldharbour Road, and be greeted so raptly, with conversation fading away. That set the tone for a performance that reached out throughout the Fruitmarket, even on a three song acoustic interlude.

The stripped back trick is a familiar one, but no less impressive, with Briggs voice displaying bittersweet character on November Song, and the gorgeous group harmonies on Get Low and Josephine painted vignettes.

But there was playfulness too, with Lost Youth turning bird samples from the ornithology-loving outfit into clap-happy pop, and a trumpet-heavy cover of Don’t You (Forget About Me) featuring a Mexican wave finale. If their quirks sometimes veered towards twee, both musically and in onstage chat (Briggs mentioning the band had hummus on their rider was the least surprising revelation in music history), then their skills at penning heartfelt pop were sharp enough to compensate.

There was lovely shimmering guitar from Jon Ouin on Invite To Eternity, while We Are The Battery Human’s cry for switching off your screens seemed more pertinent than ever, before they finished on Zorbing’s earworm melody and a snippet of Goodnight, Sweetheart. Those hugs were well deserved.