With even new songs being more than a decade old, an element of looking back was guaranteed as the 1990s hit Glasgow’s Stereo. It was no mere nostalgia show; it was a blast from the start, a chance to dance and sing along with choruses bursting forth from the back of our minds.
We’ve all been enjoying ourselves in the intervening years, as have the individual band members, but songs like ‘You Made Me Like It’ will always find a welcome home in Glasgow. And as Jackie said, there’s always time for ‘Pollokshields’ amongst a cracking and crackling hour.
‘Fassbinder Would Have Loved Techno’ showed its teeth, and a nod to Green Velvet, but the Nude Restaurant opener, ‘Psyche-Ward Pick-Up No.9’ grabbed attention. Whether you fell for the Bolan Boogie stomp or lyrics that run ‘suffragette, teacher’s pet and a Free Tibet’ together breathlessly, it’s a brilliant way to start an album or up the stakes during a gig.
Long-term fans will be pleased to know there is still a touch of the shambolic about the band. Pre-album release track ‘What’s Up With The Midnight Me?’ slipped by without a hitch, despite the band’s concerns, but other moments highlighted a touch of rustiness to the 1990s.
Then again, it was all well received, and whether it was asking how the lyrics started or catching glasses that flew off during a guitar solo, it was just a joy to have them back.
It’s a scary thought to think it’s more than 13 years since the band played a fantastic Bank Holiday set in the ABC2, and at times during the Stereo set, it seemed like they haven’t missed a beat. Of course, it’s even scarier to deal with the passing of time, the loss of the ABC and everything else in the past few years, but rock n roll remains pure escapism, and this was a set to blow away any lingering blues.
Saturday 11th June 2022 will be noted as the night Harry’s House came to Glasgow, but for a hardy few, it was the 1990s all over again; and the world was all the better for it.
