If Roddy Frame had walked onto the stage at Glasgow's ABC the other night and just performed Killermont Street I would have felt like I had got my money's worth. Thankfully, however, he played many more including finishing the main set with the holy trinity of Oblivious, Walk Out To Winter and Pillar To Post.
This was the first time in over ten years that he has played live with a band having probably rediscovered the joys of playing with a band after touring over the last few years as Edwyn Collin's guitarist. The gig included tracks from the first Aztec Camera album right up to a brand new track, White Pony, with Frame declaring that he "might write another one next year" after the rapturous reception he received from an adoring audience. Never mind one new track, a new album would certainly be very welcome and long overdue.
The set was an embarrassment of riches with particular fave moments being Down The Dip, Western Skies, a terrific version of We Could Send Letters and the aforementioned Killermont Street which is easily one of the best songs ever written by one of Scotland's most talented musicians. Frame knows his audience well, and didn’t disappoint ending the show with a rousing Somewhere In My Heart which had a packed ABC transported back to '88 and fully in agreement that "the closet thing to heaven is to rock'n'roll".
I'm quite sure that Roddy and co could quite happily have played for another couple of hours and I'm sure there would have been no complaints from anyone present. As it was we got about one and a half hours from The Boy Wonder, delivering probably the best gig of 2011.
