A rainy night in Auld Reekie suits the mood for this evocative return to 1995, which finds the transatlantic four-piece revisiting their seminal debut. The band perform silhouetted behind a white sheet for a stomping Subhuman, before launching into the industrial stop-start mechanics of Supervixen. Sporting a feather boa, while running her fingers through an eye-catching electric pink Barnet, Queer sees Shirley Manson claiming the stage.
It’s a cracking set, tapping into the lost art of the B-side, among them a storming cover of The Butterfly Collector. Raw emotions in Manson’s salty brogue are detectable while celebrating her hometown – remarkably this is her first gig here in 13 years.
Milk provides some breathing space as Manson works her seductive black art over menacing trip-hop beats. The singer’s 78-year-old father is invited on stage for a wee dram, much to Manson’s delight and bewilderment.
Only Happy When It Rains works its magic as the Scottish capital’s Saturday girls, lifer rockers and football casuals swirl around the front. Arguably their finest moment remains Vow, and it doesn’t disappoint. Butch Vig thunders around the kit, as Manson puts one boot on the monitor while spitting the psychotic venom of a spurned lover. Fittingly the rain continues to hammer down as a happy crowd toasts one of the city’s finest daughters.
