Belle & Sebastian @ Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 24 Mar

Drawing a line from the hushed, confessional nature of early Belle & Sebastian to the maximal, keytar-playing party starters of the present is a difficult task for devoted fans and band alike. By zig-zagging the set between their two distinct eras (with the occasional indulgence into their self-confessed “mysterious middle period”), they ensure that there's plenty of variation, but the tonal shifts are sometimes a little jarring; following the bombastic We Were Beautiful with the breathtakingly subtle The Stars of Track and Field being a prime example.

Recreating the delicate moments that made them cult favourites in the first place is not the easiest task in a 2000+ capacity auditorium so it's understandable that the band would lean on the louder, funkier cuts (Stay Loose, Poor Boy, Sweet Dew Lee). Also, either the rigours of a demanding tour schedule (they're a couple of months into the current leg) or general wear and tear have meant that Stuart Murdoch's voice is not quite as able to hit the poignant highs of the quieter songs; Piazza, New York Catcher showcases a number of vocal cracks that are endearing, but a reminder that this is a band in their third decade.

Murdoch is talkative throughout (with the odd interjection from Sarah Martin and Stevie Jackson), taking time to chat to the audience, take requests, shout out a few fans that have travelled long distances and to debate exactly where the dividing salt and sauce line should be drawn across the Central Belt (a small town outside Bathgate is Murdoch's guess). They have a genuine bond with their fans that makes the show a lot of fun – those invited to come up and dance during a brilliant rendition of The Boy With the Arab Strap can attest to that – but there's a sense of melancholic nostalgia about the early songs they play (Dog on Wheels, Like Dylan in the Movies, The Fox in the Snow) that relegates them to a different era, almost a different band.

By the time we're at the end of the show, with Murdoch dancing on his piano to the disco beats of The Party Line, it's impossible to deny that this has been an entertaining performance, with the band striving to cover all of their bases with (more or less) great success, despite having to sacrifice a little thematic coherence in the process.