With Constant Follower
Kelvingrove Bandstand, 31 July 2025
Summer Nights at The Bandstand. How often have we attended these events wrapped up in clothes more suitable for winter evenings?
For bands like Teenage Fanclub who have played in Kelvingrove Park before, it’s almost become the norm that the first few words on stage have more in common with a weather forecast than the music we can all look forward to listening to in the next couple of hours.
And so it was with Norman Blake, who welcomed us all to an evening which would encapsulate the old, the new and some revived songs from their extensive catalogue stretching back to their debut album Catholic Education in 1990.
And the audience reflected the journey the band have taken over the decades with a sizeable number of the younger generation as enthralled with the band as their elders, who no doubt had spent many a night listening to the early albums of the 1990s.
The characteristic harmonies remain in place after all these years with all five members contributing throughout the set.
While much of the focus is on Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley, Francis MacDonald on drums, Dave McGowan on bass and Euros Childs on keyboards make a significant contribution to the Fannies sound.
The guitar interplay between Blake and McGinley remains the highlight of the set, though early in the show they both realise that the setlist has been drawn up in such a way that both have to change guitar for almost every song being played. Not that this detracted from the show, in many respects it gave everyone a little breather between songs to reflect on the fond memories that each song evoked.
As expected, songs taken off the albums Grad Prix, Bandwagonesque and Thirteen had the audience singing along in tandem with the band, with the closing encores of Planets and Everything Flows the lasting memories that will once again linger in the audience’s consciousness long after this summer is over.
There have been many changes across the music spectrum since 1990. However, tonight showed why the basic building blocks that brought Teenage Fanclub to the attention of tonight’s audience back in time; well-structured songs, close harmonies, superb musicianship and a sense that everyone on stage was enjoying themselves remain in place.
We left with the opening line to Everything Flows ‘See you get older every year, But you don’t change’ a reminder that there can be re-assurance in at least some parts of our lives.
Support – Constant Follower
Having seen Constant Follower three times in the past year or so, I’m still unsure as to where the band would best shine. There music is very low key, acoustic in the main with electric guitar, bass, keyboards and backing vocals lending more than a little hand to the lead vocals of Stephen McAll.
Across the three gigs to date, while the songs are becoming more familiar, there doesn’t seem to be a signature song or songs on which to build the set around and I hope this doesn’t hinder their future progress, as the positive aspects currently outweigh any negatives.
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