Music review: The Bluebells, St Luke's, Glasgow

Playing in support of their first album release in four decades, The Bluebells are still young at heart, writes Fiona Shepherd

The Bluebells, St Luke's, Glasgow ***

The Bluebells have been such a Glasgow music presence down the years that it is hard to credit an almost 40-year gap between album releases. Their wittily titled “comeback”, The Bluebells in the 21st Century, released on the prolific Last Night From Glasgow label, follows the Teenage Fanclub democratic model, with four songs each from the core members, and vocals shared for harmonic impact.

For this sold out launch concert in sunny Bluebell weather, Robert “Bobby Bluebell” Hodgens, and brothers Ken and David McCluskey had assembled a band of Scottish session superstars, comprising guitarists Mick Slaven and Douglas MacIntyre (the latter following Hodgens' lead on the indoor sunglasses), former Aztec Camera man Campbell Owens on bass and John McCusker on fiddle, ready to strike as required.

The Bluebells PIC: Brian SweeneyThe Bluebells PIC: Brian Sweeney
The Bluebells PIC: Brian Sweeney
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A solo support set from Trashcan Sinatras’ guitarist John Douglas set the melodic bar high – The Bluebells replied strongly with the Caledonian country of Stonehouse Violets and less convincingly with the mid-paced amble of Beautiful Mess. Hodgens took the lead with a ragged, heartfelt vocal on Disneyland and Rock’n’Roll while another new song, Anyone Could Be A Buzzcock, hailed the do-it-yourself influence of the Mancunian punk powerhouse. Another perennial favourite of Glaswegian musicians, The Velvet Underground, were later mentioned in dispatches and explicit tribute paid with an encore cover of Sweet Jane.

Unsurprisingly, their Eighties hits and bits were greeted with greater enthusiasm by a crowd of their peers including the plangent twang of Red Guitars and cheery philosophy of Everybody's Somebody's Fool. Their impressive chart debut I’m Falling still stands up, Cath barrelled along with bonus harmonica action and Young At Heart inevitably dominated, fuelled by McCusker’s star turn, before the full ensemble shone on a psychedelic blowout rendition of Buffalo Springfield’s For What It's Worth.

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