It’s a very hot and sweaty basement in Stereo tonight; it’s also really busy.
It’s easily Cate Le Bon’s busiest gig in Glasgow, which is a good thing as she is criminally underrated.
Touring ‘Crab Day’ the band start with the title song from the album; Stereo’s sound is really good at the best of the times, but it’s fantastic tonight.
The song is played as whimsical and intense as the album, pounding rhythm sections and a Cate delivery make the song go by in a heartbeat.
Next up is ‘Love is not Love’, again, intense and beautiful; there is next to no interaction at a Cate Le Bon show, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, I am weary of sycophantical acts saying fictitious nonsense like: “Glasgow is always the best gig of the tour”.
The delivery of ‘Wonderful’ is an absolute joy, there’s been so many comparisons to how the band plays and how Cate sings. but it’s incomparable now.
Every album has added another mystical layer to it and lazy folks can’t just write “Cate likes singing about death” anymore.
In all honesty I have stopped trying to decipher it, it’s just really, really enjoyable to watch.
‘No God’ from Mug Museum is played and the bass is scorching, it’s really a simple song but it is sheer captivating.
The audience is rooted to the spot, the crowd are as focused as the band.
‘I’m a Dirty Attic’ is my personal favourite of the night, I am trying to not use descriptive words I have used previously, out of worry that you will think I am lazy, but in all honesty a whimsical intensity is the best description you will get.
The band is highly proficient at everything and it’s a seamless performance that goes by in a flash.
It’s obviously stringently practiced as a shouted request from the crowd is met with the politest shake of the head you’ll ever see.
Listen to ‘I Was Born On The Wrong Day’ from Crab Day, sounds good eh? Well it’s not a patch on the live version, similarly ‘We Might Revolve’.
It’s at this stage where the audience gets the only interaction of the night; “this is the part of the show where we like to change a cable” quips Cate, “thankfully that’s over” follows straight after.
There’s no indication that the band had fun, they did to a rare encore, but it’s without a doubt that everyone present thought it was a great show.
Stereo was a perfect venue for a flawless performance; far too hot though, I’m from Glasgow, I am not used to heat!
Words: Andrew Melrose
Photos: Ang Canavan
