Supergrass at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow review
In September though the Oxford four-piece announced they'd be coming together again for a 30th anniversary celebration of their debut LP, I Should Coco. The Manic Street Preachers played this very venue last month, Pulp will headline the Hydro in June and, of course, there are those Oasis mega-gigs stretching stadiums to capacity across the country. Squint hard enough - and ignore the odd grey hair - and it really could be 1995.
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Supergrass were just 19 when their first album - which became Parlophone's biggest debut since The Beatles - was released and Coombes and co still look spry, the singer clad in a dark suit and sporting a trilby.
If there's any concern going into proceedings it's that the set may peak too soon. I Should Coco's opening four tracks could all easily fit into an encore, so fireworks are expected from the off.
That it fizzles slightly is no slight on the band. While the mix is slightly muddy for the first verse of 'I'd Like To Know' the group are tight, Coombe's Bowie-esque delivery unaffected by the years.
The legendary Barras crowd, though, hasn't brought its A-game. Save for some game younger fans, resplendent in Adidas tracksuits down the front, it's mostly pint-supping, head-nodding and, most egregiously of all, chatting.
When the band pauses during rollicking, punky second number 'Caught By The Fuzz' it's unclear whether it's a tease or a technical snafu, though the frontman's signal to start again suggests the latter. Either way, the pause is greeted with confused and muted applause.
'It's great to see you all again, you doing alright? Ok, track number 4…' Coombes says by way of introducing international megahit 'Alright'.
Supergrass perform at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow (Image: Newsquest) It's well-received, of course it is, but still things don't quite take flight. 'We are young, we run free?' Well, you know, we would but there's the school run to think about.
Unfair? Perhaps, and things do liven up for a flawless 'Strange Ones' and 'Sit Up Straight', but Glasgow crowds and the Barras have a stellar worldwide reputation for a reason and it's evident only in patches tonight.
Drummer Danny Goffey gets on guitar for album closer 'Time To Go' and the band take a bow to spirited applause.
We're then on to some choice cuts from later albums, Coombes now sporting a flashing plastic ring thrown from the front.
'Moving' is the highlight of the night, and 'Pumping On Your Stereo' sends everyone into the balmy evening satisfied.
In the end, then, how does one judge it? As a performance it's close to flawless; as an experience it's less than the sum of its parts and it's not Supergrass who are failing to hold up their end of the bargain.
The band are great, and the crowd? Well, they're alright.
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