Thurston Moore @ The Arches, 28 November

A flustered arrival onto The Arches stage after being disoriented by the Glasgow streets brings Thurston Moore to a discerning, and disconcertingly polite, seated crowd. What on first glance seems a wistful and dreamy take on acoustic folk by a mellowed out aging rocker becomes something defiantly progressive. Appearances are deceiving – the harp, violin and acoustic guitars belie the anti-folk drudgery they might imply.

Instead, Fri/End is a particularly standout track with its soaring, crashing and pounding crescendo, and is a great example of how live, Moore succeeds in his ability to turn his records into something greater than the sum of their parts. On stage, there’s more power and urgency given to his songs and there are times when the indomitable force of Sonic Youth shines through the – almost – wearisome attempts at heart-on-sleeve figurative imagery. He utilises the more interesting aspects of his band to excellent effect.

The surprisingly powerful pluck of the harp, at opportune moments, overpowers everything else on stage, bringing moments of genuine beauty. Many of Moore's solo songs do go off wandering, though, while the rest maintain that driving, energetic insistency of earlier work. But it’s his soothing, irreplaceable voice, filling the vaults of the Arches, which reminds tonight’s crowd of what we'll miss in his greater incarnation, if they really have chosen to retire.