Music review: The Skids, King Tut's, Glasgow

THE Skids' 40th anniversary year exceeded expectations so the Dunfermline punk veterans are running with it right into 2018, starting with two intimate shows at King Tut's allowing the band to show off some new songs from Burning Cities, their first new album since 1981.They opened their account with the live debut of assertive album opener This Is Our World, and it quickly became apparent that a venue as small as Tut's could not quite contain the sound and fury of The Skids, tempered though it is with age and Richard Jobson's obvious delight at being on a stage with his bandmates '“ pinballing about for all he was worth in the tight space he thrashed out for himself.

The Skids, King Tut’s, Glasgow ****

In the end, the group, featuring original bassist William Simpson, drummer Mike Baillie and father-and-son guitarists Bruce and Jamie Watson, only offered two more newbies – the catchy call to arms A World On Fire and the propulsive, celebratory One Last Chance with skirling guitars in tribute to their late guitarist Stuart Adamson and Jobson so wrapped up in the intro that he missed his cue to start singing – making way for fan and band favourites from the first three Skids albums.

Charade and the folk punk rabble-rousing of Hurry on Boys connected on a primitive level, while there was no need to spell out the continuing relevance of Working For the Yankee Dollar, their groovy new wave takedown of the military-industrial complex.

The Saints Are Coming was as musically mighty and lyrically desolate as ever and there was enduring food for thought in their cautionary cyberpunk tale Charles with the continuing rise of AI.

Even the dumb thrash of TV Stars gained some piquancy with the usual roll call of Corrie characters replaced with the names of current politicians.