Saint Etienne @ ABC 16/12/10

It was 20 years ago the Saint Etienne first gave us their brand alternative dance pop, 1991’s Foxbase Alpha may not have been their most successful on release but now there is no doubt about its status as their best, a fact this is clear from tonight’s setlist.

However, there is time for Swedish trio The Radio Dept. to woo an, at the time, sparse audience with some chilled out dream pop. TRD have been going nearly as long as tonight’s headliners and despite not gaining as much commercial coverage they have received much critical acclaim perhaps no more so than with latest album Clinging to a Scheme.

Tracks like ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ and ‘Never Follow Suit’ form highlights of a beautiful yet short set, and as the band leave a fuzz filled stage one by one you can’t help but hope they return to play a headline slot in the near future.

Tonight though is about Saint Etienne, and the trio originating from Croydon don’t let down. Sarah Cracknell and co may not have the youth they once had but there is no argument that their songs are still relevant today, so much so that Girls Aloud could easily release these tracks and no one would bat an eyelid.

They open up with the disco driven ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ before a projection of wonderfully fun looking scenes from the ‘60s. The electro beats of ‘Burnt Out Car’ keep the constant pop bliss oozing until Foxbase Alpha tracks kick in with the captivating ‘Spring’, which was remixed brilliant by Air France earlier this year.

Christmas fever has certainly hit Saint Etienne this year. The release of album A Glimpse of Stocking, a selection of festive merch and Cracknell’s constant chats of the season shows excitement is clearly apparent. It appears now Cracknell has two young children the Christmas period is just as exciting for her as no doubt it is for her children.

The band’s first single, Neil Young cover ‘Only Love Can Break Your Love Heart’ proves the set highlight, as the former dance chart no.1 sets toes a tapping and demonstrates why Saint Etienne were equally as important in the dance movement as they were in the sugar coated, C86 pop scene.

After a couple of encore’s including another dance chart no.1 in ‘Nothing Can Stop Us Now’ and a wee Christmas ditsy in keeping in the theme, the band call it an evening. A surprisingly early finish isn’t met with much disdain as Saint Etienne prove once again they and their music can capture an audience just as it did a couple of decades ago.

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

The Yummy Fur @ Stereo 15/12/10

“Never playing this city again, it’s the new Edinburgh” John McKeown quips after reemerging for an unexpected encore. Strangely enough his statement may be correct, albeit not for the lack of cheering for an encore, but because this is to be the last ever Yummy Fur gig, whether we believe this or not is questionable.

The Yummy Fur reformed to much excitement in the Glasgow scene back in late 2009/early 2010, a sold out Sleazy’s gig was followed by trips to London and a first ever visit to the States.

Now, less than a year on the clock they have decide to retire the band again, not that McKeown or indeed Paul Thomson, whose quiff tonight is phenomenal, will become strangers with duties in 1990s, Correcto and of course Franz Ferdinand to tend to.

The show at Sleazy’s was an undoubted success however tonight has disappointingly undersold but this does not stop the boys putting on a top show. The set is as close as you could get to a best of The Yummy Fur set and tops the previous show in that respect despite the crowd not being quite as cosy.

Tonight is clearly on to please a hometown audience, the band seem unprepared as cues get confused and after attempting to start ‘Deathclub’ for the fourth time McKeown quips “I knew six hours practice was too much”. Nonetheless the set is thoroughly entertaining if it is more for its content than its preparation.

The highlights of the set come in tracks that a Glasgow crowd hadn’t heard in over ten years; tracks like dark tinged ‘Canadian Flag’ and the electronic brilliance of ‘Shoot the Ridiculant’ really capture those assembled. And as the band demerge for their encore to play the snarly sing-along ‘Policeman’ and oldie ‘Chinese Bookie’ everyone is left more than satisfied.

The Yummy Fur don’t need to do much to prove their worth within the Glasgow scene, you just have to look at their collective CV’s. Still whether this will be the last we see of them is questionable, and with the projected remaster and release of their discography in the new year potentially giving them a new set of fans, we may not and hope not to have seen the last of them.