Metronomy @ Barrowlands, Glasgow, 22 Apr

There’s a warm, inviting energy as the crowd draw in early for opening act Hak Baker, acoustic guitar in hand, whose infectious energy lights up the iconic Barras venue and sets the tone for what is to be a spectacular night.   

Metronomy take to the stage not long after, striding on and keeping the feel-good energy flowing with an upbeat rendition of Love Factory from their latest album, Small World. The crowd are swaying, dancing and then, with no pause, the band launch straight into iconic fan favourite The Bay and the energy turns electric – there’s an intuitive sense we’re in for something very special. 'Cause this isn’t Paris, and this isn’t London / And it’s not Berlin, and it’s not Hong Kong, not Tokyo' lead vocalist Joseph Mount sings – indeed, this is Glasgow and the charged atmosphere tonight is Glasgow through and through.

There’s something for everyone tonight as Metronomy play tracks spanning their decades-long career – the classic Everything Goes My Way fits snugly in with preceding new track Things Will Be Fine. It’s evident that every member of the band are deeply in tune with themselves and each other – there’s a real, genuine joy to their performance. If there was any doubt in mind Mount spells it out for us: “It’s good to be back!” he shouts, before Metronomy launch into the song of the same name.

Throughout the entire 90-minute set, the energy doesn’t let up for a minute, one song flowing seamlessly to the next. At points, Metronomy play some of their instrumental tracks, and it feels like we’ve been let into a secret jam session, with the band just vibing and having fun together – and with us. Given how distinct each of Metronomy’s eras are, it’s an impressive feat for them to have brought together tracks from each era in such a cohesive, natural way.

Nearing the end of the set, Metronomy launch into a jubilant performance of The Look and the crowd, old fans and new alike, can’t help but dance and sing along. It’s a really special moment and encapsulates the feeling of unfiltered joy, energy and fun that’s been the tone of the whole night. After being called to the stage once more with “One more tune!” they close out the night with a throwback to lo-fi quirky instrumental You Could Easily Have Me. It’s a perfect way to round off the night, and it’s the sound of a band who truly know who they are and, hopefully for us, have many eras ahead of them yet.