New Order, OVO Hydro, Glasgow review - a nostalgia trip with a modern feel

★★★★ NEW ORDER, OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW A nostalgia trip with a modern feel

The Manchester legends found their groove as the night went on.

Early on in this arena gig by New Order, a youthful, enthusiastic voice could be heard to say gleefully, “They’re just so 80s!”. That statement was both accurate and yet also misleading, for as this near two-hour performance showcased New Order’s music is both of that decade and yet above it. 

The National, OVO Hydro, Glasgow, review - commanding arenas with ease

★★★★ THE NATIONAL, OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW Commanding arenas with ease

A lengthy show served as a thrilling reminder of the Ohio band's rich catalogue

There remains something disconcerting about seeing the National as arena rockers. Perhaps it’s the nonchalant stage entrance as they stroll on, a far cry from the pyro heavy displays this Glasgow venue usually witnesses. Maybe it’s the unassuming stage attire, with frontman Matt Berninger adopting a smart casual look, or the sort of onstage chat that featured the group remarking on unusual time signatures in their songs.

Blu-ray: Gregory's Girl

★★★★★ BLU-RAY: GREGORY'S GIRL Bill Forsyth's peerless romantic comedy returns

Bill Forsyth's peerless romantic comedy returns

Gregory’s Girl stands alongside Kes as one of the few films offering a realistic depiction of state school life. Director Bill Forsyth’s surreal flourishes delight without getting in the way: think of the penguin waddling along the corridors, or the young lad glimpsed smoking a pipe in the boys’ toilets.

The Ossianic Ballads, Edinburgh Quartet, Màiri MacMillan, National Library of Scotland review - good ingredients get lost in the mix

New life given to ancient Gaelic songs results in a less than lively performance

To coincide with the National Library of Scotland’s first bi-lingual exhibition Sguel/Story, an exhibition in English and Scottish Gaelic which celebrates stories and storytelling, the library presented a performance of newly reinterpreted Gaelic ballads with string quartet arrangements from composer Ned Bigham.

Mercy Falls review - horror in the Highlands

★★★ MERCY FALLS A superb sense of atmosphere buoys this Scottish slasher flick

A superb sense of atmosphere buoys this Scottish slasher flick

Mercy Falls isn’t the only Scottish film of the past year in which a young woman is haunted by childhood memories of a last summer holiday with her troubled father. And while Ryan Hendrick’s low-budget horror is unlikely to garner as much critical acclaim as Charlotte Wells’s Aftersun, at least it’s more eventful.

The Walkmen, SWG3, Glasgow review - a classy return for New York's finest

★★★★ THE WALKMEN, SWG3, GLASGOW A classy return for New York's finest

There was still a tremendous power to the reunited quintet's material

As the relentless, hammering beat of “The Rat” faded away, the Walkmen’s singer Hamilton Leithauser was evidently in buoyant mood. “Like riding a bike,” he declared to the Glasgow crowd, and this was a statement that proved consistently accurate throughout the 75-minute set, as the reunited quintet played in a manner that felt like they’d never been away.