Gig review: The Coral, ABC, Glasgow

IT SEEMS that a rest has been as good as a change for respected indie troupe The Coral, who have returned from a five-year hiatus to face a capacity crowd eager to get re-acquainted with their 21st century Merseybeat.

Glasgow's ABC. Picture: John Devlin

The Coral | Rating: *** | ABC, Glasgow

There have been some tweaks in the interim. Former Zutons guitarist Paul Molloy has replaced founding member Lee Southall and brings impressive, deft lead riffing skills and much needed stage presence to this diffident outfit.

Musically, they’ve grown their hair out, in that their new material is a touch trippier and more jam-based than the sweet beat pop of old, as typified by the heavy blues rock of new single Holy Revelation.

To reference psychedelic godfathers Pink Floyd, this current set was less Arnold Layne whimsy and more Interstellar Overdrive wig-out, accompanied throughout by a hypnotic visual backdrop, the CGI equivalent of the “fruit salad” coloured oil lightshows of the 1960s.

But this band are too much in love with pop music to succumb to over-indulgent bloat. There were frequent reminders of their mercurial way with a melody scattered throughout the gig, from the sheer buskers’ delight of In The Morning to minor key melodramas such as Don’t Think You’re The First.

R&B stomper Dreaming Of You remained their most popular lusty singalong but rather than end on its cathartic high, the older, louder Coral bowed out on a big meaty blues boogie finish.

They really have been missed.