Depeche Mode @ SECC, 12 Dec

It's been a long time coming and – against all fads and health scares – a sold out Hall 4 marks a hero's return. Since last gracing the Playhouse in early 1988 – before a subsequent tour of America to the tune of Music for the Masses saw their stock soar exponentially – Depeche Mode dates in Scotland have become as frequent as lederhosen revivals.

Throughout their three decades together, save for the occasional flirtation with blues and gospel progression, the Essex trio have resolutely clung to their synths and Guyliner. Tonight proves no exception as they dwell heavily on the seminal Violator and turn the baroque, futuristic shtick that made them famous up to full bore.

Though the cursory salvo of In Chains and Wrong from twelfth LP Sounds of the Universe feels brittle and workmanlike up against their thought-provoking visual aids, there are clear-cut highlights – such as the chilling Walking in My Shoes and Stripped – where glimmers of Dave Gahan’s messianic rock god alter-ego take hold.

Martin Gore's piano-led solo excursions with Insight and One Caress feel strangely ill-at-ease with the rest of the set, but his indulgences are forgiven when the trade-off is a show-stopping rendition of Enjoy the Silence -- a song even Linkin Park couldn't spoil. Ending as they only could with Personal Jesus – Johnny Cash's electro-rock anthem of choice - it's a sharp reminder that some currencies are immune to recession. [Dave Kerr]