Yo La Tengo @ ABC, 6 Nov

The return of Yo La Tengo to Scottish shores carries an air of expectation. ABC1 draws a huddle of early comers for ex-Gorky's frontman Euros Childs' (***) charming psych-pop, but packs out quickly for the main event, who take t othe stage at a family-friendly 8.15pm.

The band's professionalism initially almost renders them workmanlike. To call the setlist "varied" is an understatement: switching between new singles, old favourites, sleepy drone, squalling feedback, piano pop, doo-wop, a song from alter egos Condo Fucks, with a request and two encores thrown in, the trio's efficiency marks them out as veterans.

As the set draws out, the disconnect between the raw, elemental beauty of the sound and their ordinary outward appearances - bassist James McNew's perennial shy smile, drummer Georgia Hubley's grim-faced determination as she pins down the set, and the way a hunched Ira Kaplan wrings his guitar neck in intense, adolescent bursts - becomes mesmeric. This culminates in closer I Heard You Looking, which, over 15 minutes, grows into an ecstatic, deafening jam that swallows the room. Such moments of unshowy transcendence are hard won by band and audience alike during a show that foregoes fireworks in favour of the slow burn, and is all the better for it. [Gillian Watson]