Malcolm Middleton @ The Tolbooth, Stirling, 28 Oct

In as jovial spirits as he presumably ever reaches, Mr Middleton casually appears onstage, seemingly comfortable in front of tonight’s reasonably local audience. So comfortable in fact that the law is laid down directly as he explains to the somewhat rowdy bunch at the front to keep quiet as they aren’t funny. He is joking but equally not up for any of that pish. Backed by a full band, Middleton eases into a round of self-deprecating, disillusioned folk-rock that could only be written by someone from Falkirk. The drums are obviously too loud, making his already overly restrained voice practically inaudible at times, but the gorgeous violin lines and vocal harmonies of Jenny Reeve manage to fill the void. Older favourites Crappo the Clown and a solo encore of Devil and the Angel are still sombre highlights. However the more recent Brighter Beat provides a welcome change of pace to the former Arab Strap man's canon. Let's hope there's much more of that. [Emma Smith]