Good to have them back.
The City Halls in Glasgow may not be one of the frequently used venues in the city but it provides a plush and welcoming venue to bands of a certain size and grandeur and the Tindersticks clearly fit the bill on all counts. Survivors for many a year, there have been times when some Tindersticks releases have been met with less than enthusiastic responses but with ‘The Hungry Saw’, the band appears to be back somewhat on form and their set indicated that their live shows were back on song.
And when it comes to Tindersticks and song, it is hard to go very long without mentioning the wonderful vocals of Stuart Staples. Low and gravely, at times almost completely out of sync with the mariachi backing that peppers the set, there is unique warmth to the front mans vocals that can’t help but warm the hearts of all but the bands fiercest opponents.
It isn’t all about the lead singer though, the show starts with an instrumental opening and there are parts throughout the show where Staples wanders off stage to allow the other members to have their spot in the sun. The brass instruments add a lot of colour to the set and help to up the tempo and excitement at times. The evening was never going to get carried away in a rush but the show never once got boring or predictable. With a back catalogue the size of The Tindersticks this should not be an issue but there are some lazy bands around these days but thankfully, that can’t be said about the evenings entertainment.
The biggest criticism you could level at the band is their inability to count songs in properly but if the biggest moan that people have at the end of a set you have to consider it a worthwhile evening out.
With ‘The Not Knowing’ from the bands album drawing the night to a close and providing something for the older fans to rejoice in, there was a definite air of approval as the crowd politely filed out of the venue. It may not have been amongst the greatest shows Tindersticks have ever played but after some years in the wilderness, there is no doubt that the level of performance was exactly what fans were looking for.