Del Amitri @ Edinburgh Castle, 21 Jul

Grey skies loom over Edinburgh Castle creating an ominous backdrop for the night to come and seats are filling up fast – eight thousand of them to be exact. Despite the lack of alcohol (Edinburgh Castle being a "DRY SITE!" as screamed by one of the supervisors outside), people seem merry and in good spirits. As this is Del Amitri’s first show in Scotland for years the anticipation is bound to be rising.

Support act Trashcan Sinatras take the stage, the arena half-full at this point, to a mediocre round of applause. They begin their half-hour set with pleasant mellow rock, easing the audience into their sound. One of their last tracks begins with a thumping bass drum, livening up the crowd. After a decent performance, they leave the stage to a slightly bigger applause than they arrived to.

By the time Del Amitri walk on stage, the arena is full and erupts at the sight of frontman Justin Currie. Kicking things off with Be My Downfall, they set the scene for the rest of the evening: easy on the ear, acoustic, singalong music. Surprisingly, probably their biggest hit, Nothing Ever Happens is played second, garnering a massive cheer after just the first strum of Currie’s guitar. Their talent is brought to life by band member Iain Harvie’s accordion solo, something we’re not sure many in the audience will have seen at a rock concert before.

Del Amitri continue through their set and by the end of their fourth song, Kiss This Thing Goodbye, the crowd are all on their feet. From up in the stands we look down to the Esplanade and are distracted for a second by the movement in the audience. People dancing, people hugging – it’s at this moment we realise the impact Del Amitri have had on their loyal fans. Teenagers of the 80s coming back all these years later to see the band truly shows the appreciation for their music.

One of the songs from their newest album is played, “this is the point where most people leave for a pint!” jokes Currie. Their new music is welcomed, their unanticipated cover of Twenty One Pilots’ Heathens is appreciated and their original tunes are loved. Finishing with a fantastic performance of Move Away Jimmy Blue, Del Amitri send everyone home satisfied and happy.