Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ The Caves, Edinburgh, 22 Oct

It’s a warm atmosphere this evening in The Caves as the crowd, made up of what seem to be mostly 30-somethings out to see one of their adolescent favourites, patiently wait for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to appear. As show time grows near, the group shuffle onstage while background music is still quietly playing through the PA and the audience finish up their conversations. All of a sudden the group start playing as the lights dim and the evening begins.

This marks the first time the band have played in Scotland in over a decade, as mentioned by frontman Alec Ounsworth: "We haven’t been here in a long time… you might not recognise every song cause I’ve changed them all." Sound issues dampen the early stages of the night, crackling speakers and uneven volumes leaving the band sounding chaotic and a little messy, however once these issues are addressed and everyone gets a little more comfortable the group soon find their feet.

Performing their second album Some Loud Thunder in it’s entirety, the setlist this evening is an even representation of Ounsworth’s work (the band's sole founding member/songwriter), from the early days and fan favourites of The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth and Is This Love? to newer tunes from their 2017 release The Tourist. The audience this evening seem to come to life at the 00s releases, a throwback to their misspent youth perhaps. This isn’t to say they aren’t receptive of the newer material, as each song is met with appreciative applause.

"This is our last song, and then we’ll probably come back and play a couple more songs," announces Ounsworth as the group leave the stage prior to the encore. An unfortunately noticeable number of people seem to leave before they return, however those who stay are treated to a solo performance from Ounsworth, before the entire group join him onstage to bring the evening to a close. Sound issues and premature exits aside, the group certainly gave the audience what they wanted, a handful of cult classics and an excuse to jump around on a work night.