Falkirk duo Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, who make up Scottish indie outfit Arab Strap, brought an assured and refined performance to The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen last night.
Their second wind as a band, after splitting for a decade, has certainly brought out the best in the pair.
New tunes mixed with old favourites in a performance that felt wholly natural throughout. The packed Aberdeen crowd hung on to every word with stern attentiveness.
A five-piece live band setup also made for a more visceral experience than what their typically lo-fi recordings could offer.
And with dashes of wry humour peppered throughout, it’s safe to say that everyone went home happy.
Callum Easter
Arab Strap’s stellar support act for the night came in the form of the beguiling Edinburgh singer-songwriter, Callum Easter.
Donning an accordion and distorted vocal effect throughout, Easter brought a quirky, steampunk folk-esque type of sound to The Lemon Tree, which the already busy crowd duly lapped up.
Tracks such as Tell ‘Em Boy and Fall In Love were stand outs and other lesser-known numbers allowed Easter to further showcase his depth of musical variety.
Arab Strap
A surprisingly solid playlist of tracks from the likes of The Stooges and Radiohead warmed up the crowd in anticipation for the main event.
Looking above the bar, Arab Strap’s name is etched in chalk at the year 1997 on the venue’s famous gig visits across the years.
That gig, according to Middleton who spoke to The Press and Journal ahead of the show, was a bit of a drunken disaster.
But as Arab Strap made their way downstairs to approach the stage with Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven playing from the speakers (an intentionally ironic touch?) there were definitely no disasters to be had this time round.
New music hits the mark
The Turning of Our Bones, taken from Arab Strap’s newest album for 16 years, As Days Get Dark, offered the perfect introduction to the show.
“I don’t give a f*** about the past, our glory days gone by, all I care about right now, is that wee mole inside your thigh,” sang Moffat, a peach of an opening line that valiantly welcomed back the band in all of the lustful nature that they’re renowned for.
Compersion Pt. 1, after a funny false start, brought another highlight of the band’s newer material with Fable Of The Urban Fox, a metaphoric tale of the UK’s unwelcoming attitudes towards refugees and immigration, perhaps the best of the lot.
But from a sonic perspective, what was even more compelling was the broad spectrum of sounds that the full band produced on stage.
From dreamy reverbs to brooding guitars and danceable drum beats, they mastered the transition from recording to live stage, bringing much more depth to their performance than some may have expected.
Rousing performance
Of course, the show wouldn’t have been complete without hearing a few old favourites.
The First Big Weekend was top of the list of crowd pleasers and the Aberdeen audience stamped their feet bang in time with the drum beat that followed the track’s vocal introduction.
A song of weekend debauchery, Moffat’s vocal delivery felt inimitably authentic – an impressive feat given how long ago he originally wrote it – and this was a recurring theme throughout the show: no track old or new felt out of place in the performance.
Coming back for an encore with only Moffat and Middleton on stage for final track Packs Of Three, the performance concluded with a touch of tenderness and the duo exited the stage amidst raucous applause.
Performers in their prime
It’s been 26 years since Arab Strap released their debut album, but their Aberdeen performance proved that they’re now striking a chord with more fans than ever.
Moffat’s dark, witty humour and his half-spoken half-sung style bloomed in full flow.
Middleton’s beats and arrangements got the crowd moving with the added depth of the full live band – and though Arab Strap may not seem like the most danceable band on their surface, last night’s performance proved otherwise.
An impressive performance from a duo truly revelling in their second phase together.
Conversation