Gig review: Status Quo/10CC, Glasgow Hydro

THE setlist for this was already online before the band had played a lick, such is the wanton predictability of a Status Quo show.

Status Quo: Still rocking. Picture: Michael Gillen

Status Quo/10CC - Glasgow Hydro

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But to be fair to the veteran London boogie-rockers, who released their 100th single to date in the summer, they have made an efforts to mix things up this year, by briefly reuniting in their “classic” 1970-76 line-up for a few well-received dates in March, and appearing in their own adventure comedy film – and I’m not making this up – titled Bula Quo!

By that measure, this pre-Christmas blowout represented something of a back-to-basics affair, with long-term keys and guitar player Andy Bown and bassist John “Rhino” Edwards back in the fold alongside new drummer Leon Cave and instantly recognisable (even if they are sans mullets these days) founding-figure guitarists/lead vocalists Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi.

With the sound swirling madly around the Hydro, and the identikit 12-bar riffs of old songs (Paper Plane, Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ You) and new (Caroline, from the Bula Quo! soundtrack) alike ricocheting off the walls, plus points that would have been hard to find under most circumstances were even scarcer to identify. Down Down, Whatever You Want, Burning Bridges and the rest brought the plodding dad anthem vibe regardless, but few fans would have been hailing this as a classic in the Quo’s long history by the end. If my word’s not convincing enough, take it from the bloke next to me who’d seen them 292 times now – I’m not making this up either – and ranked this his second worst ever.