Lou Barlow @ Stereo, 1 Feb

 

Despite a somewhat underwhelming visit with Sebadoh in 2008, Lou Barlow returns to Glasgow tonight in considerably more triumphant fashion with a solo(ish) endeavour, packing Stereo's murky basement to the hilt. After an engaging opening trio of acoustic numbers, the alt-rock stalwart, backed here by The Missingmen - a duo most commonly associated with Minutemen/Stooges bass legend Mike Watt - then kicks into a boisterous run-through of his solo works, paying particular attention to 2009's fantastic Goodnight Unknown. Lending new energy and force to these gems - and some on-stage dialogue worth it's weight in comedy gold - the trio's dynamic only falters when Barlow struggles repeatedly with techical issues and in turn, his innate perfectionism. Taking three attempts to play Too Much Freedom before bottling it is a little awkward to watch, however an eventually victorious encore rendition ensures that doesn't detract too much from an otherwise faultless performance. [Ryan Drever]