Sat 16 Aug – Idlewild

Saturday night then, and a sell-out Fleece welcomed Roddy and the band like an old friend, and to be fair the band responded in kind.
From the opening song it's obvious that although this is a well-oiled machine firing on all cylinders, there is also a heart and soul being worn on its sleeve.
Roddy Woomble is a walking paradox, totally at home at the mic, but at the same time seemingly reticent, almost awkward and shy about being in the spotlight, not that he's withdrawn in any way though.
To their credit, tonight was not about a greatest hits set. From the second song, No Generation RW lets us know that this gig is all about b-sides and rarities and the only two songs that I would say would be well known to the casual listener were Little Discourage and set closer A Modern Way of Letting Go
And for me, apart from Captain the rest of the set was a timely reminder to get my *rse in gear and go back and listen to singles that haven't been near my cd player in a month of Sundays, such was the strength of the set. That, dear reader, totals 24 cds in various multi formats from I'm a Message through to I Understand It and must comprise at least 40+ in extra tracks that up until last night I hadn't paid much attention to.
Lesson learned I guess, lol.
It was also nice to be reminded that despite Roddy's lyrical craft and their ability to write a good song, underneath all this there beats the heart of a real rock band and tonight both Rod and Allan underline this, never taking their foot off the gas throughout the whole set.
A great gig then, and not even the torrential downpour that awaited us outside could dampen the high spirits afterwards.
They will be back, and I for one will too : )