Athlete @ Barrowlands

Professing their love of Glasgow, Athlete certainly get the crowd on their side for their first outing at the Barrowlands but despite the adoring crowd there's not the sense of occasion that you can often find here. Athlete are mild. Barrowland gigs are not. The opener receives a fairly muted reception but from the second song - Atmosphere - it's a genuine love-in. One audience member gets so emotionally entangled in her sing-alongs that she looks like she's auditioning for The X Factor. New album track The Outsiders sees the band urge the crowd to point onstage with the calculated refrain: "Can you spot the English here?" And the song's downbeat style sparks a real sense of unease. This, along with Wires, is the exception in a set filled with MOR love songs with clichéd lyrics lapped up by cheesy chaps who croon them to their girlfriends, although the balding 30ish men who make up 60% of the audience probably wouldn't admit to doing so. It's a mild thing. [Laura Paterson]