Idlewild @ King Tut's, 18 Dec

In light of Idlewild's success and their tendency nowadays to sell out places ending with Academy and Arena, its easy for the cynic to dismiss the band's earnest beginnings. These guys certainly paid their dues, playing well over 100 shows a year when they first set out on the Edinburgh circuit. Tonight, performing 2001's 100 Broken Windows to a rammed King Tut's, it captures the point when four Edinburgh art-punks best combined youthful frenzy with a new-found maturity of songwriting.

Though they are a calmer proposition onstage these days, musically tonight's is a near-flawless performance. All the best aspects of Idlewild – post-modern poetry, uplifting melody and tangible enthusaism - are distilled into one potent spirit and the audience drink deep. Roddy smiles incessantly throughout as he surely reflects on how far his band have travelled to get back to here. The crowd smile right back as they are treated to one of the concerts of the year. [Chris Cusack]