Hector Bizerk @ The Art School, Glasgow, 14 Oct

So, farewell then Hector Bizerk. We have gathered at The Art School on a typically grey October evening to wave off Scotland's most exciting hip-hop act one last time. The band are moving on to new projects after a rollercoaster five-year career that's seen them play on both sides of the Atlantic and win some heavyweight fans along the way. 

It doesn't seem that long ago since The Skinny was watching them support rap titan GZA at one of their first high-profile gigs. Back in 2011 it was just MC Louie and drummer Audrey Tait filling The Arches' sizeable main stage. Scottish hip-hop was still a niche concern with little crossover potential, but the duo showed no sign of nerves and delivered an upbeat 25-minute set that won huge approval from a crowd of veteran Wu-Tang fans. 

Fast forward to the present and Hector Bizerk are one of the best loved alternative acts in the country. Their fan base has grown well beyond typical male rap fans. You just need to look around The Art School tonight for evidence; from West End indie kids to metallers in baggy jeans, tracksuited Britpop enthusiasts to middle-aged guys in Next fleeces – they're all here. The universal appeal of Hector Bizerk is undeniable.

Tonight's show sees them zip through the best cuts from each of their four albums. Their debut LP – Drums. Rap. Yes. – has always sounded equal parts sonic manifesto and defiant call-to-arms. It introduced the world to an original lyrical talent who, like all the best MCs, offers as much humour as bravado in his rhymes. "Unsurprisingly I don't do guns or confrontation obligingly," Louie tells us in crowd favourite Bury the Hatchet. Hector Bizerk are capable of anger, but importantly they're always punching up and never down.

Louie might be the focal point, but Tait's percussive talent has always been the band's foundation. As the band has grown, she's been to be able to explore more powerful rhythms – as a blistering rendition of Fingerprints on the Drumkit proves. They've always sounded their best in a live setting.

Tonight's set flies by and soon the band are taking a well-deserved standing ovation. "I honestly believe Glasgow is the best place in the world for live music,” Louie tells the cheering crowd. We haven't seen the last of him, having already promised new material by the end of the year. 

So what does the end of Hector Bizerk tell us about hip-hop in Scotland, and the viability of running a band more generally? Along with their good pals from Edinburgh, the mercurial Stanley Odd, the group have proved there is an audience for imaginative rap acts north of the border. But, like many experimental artists operating far from London, they've been left to do it on their own. Major record label funding – and the recording possibilities it opens up – remains elusive. Hector Bizerk succeeded in pushing down boundaries in Scotland. Let's hope the next Scottish hip-hop stars can push on and take the capital.