ARAB STRAP // BARROWLANDS, GLASGOW
Arab Strap storms the Barrowlands
★★★★★ (5/5)
First forming in 1995, Arab Strap a duo made up of singer and wry lyricist Aidan Moffat and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton with reputation for drab dark humour released 6 well regarded albums before seemingly calling it a day. However after reuniting since 2021 they have put out two excellent new albums. Tonight, filled out by additional museums at a sold out Barrowlands they play a mix of old classics and songs from the two reunion albums. Focusing mainly on the superbly named and just generally superb, totally fine with it don’t fuck anymore.
Their style verges from dirges to bangers and somewhere in between. Of course, Arab Strap have as Aidan deadpans songs “about shagging” and “not shagging”, mocking there slightly deserved reputation. But on the whole, Arab Strap have always written about more than not shagging, focusing on emotions joy, boredom, love and lust with unique and sometimes twisted and thoroughly Scottish sense of humour.
A Saturday with a local Scottish band in a sold out Barrowlands, the evening is certainly primed to be memorable and the band don’t disappoint. It’s the last night of the tour yet Arab Strap are in fine fettle. Muscular riff heavy set opener Allatonceness highlights this with a stomping riff and lyrics about being numb to all the misery of the modern word and killer gag about Star Wars (changed from Disney on the record). While early on in set early song Girls of Summer is aired showcasing the variety of there sound with extended post rock esque instrumental ending. The stomping Turning of Our Bones is a further highlight
Live really showcases the distinctive way Arab Strap combines disco beats and dour sometimes sparse indie rock to mesmeric effect. The beats keep the crowd dancing and drive the music forward while the sparse rhythmic guitar licks keep us down to earth this particularly evident on Bliss, also from the new album which gets a enthusiastic reaction from the crowd. The set continues with old songs like New Birds (another brilliant outro) mixed in with well received new songs Dreg Queen and Strawberry Moon. A further standout is Fable of the Urban Fox the which is a pertinent metaphor for immigration.
The encore is a tour de force with a acoustic run through of You’re Not There also from the aforementioned new album is an affecting and touching portrait of loss, somehow made more charmingly poignant when Aidan gets the lyrics wrong. This is followed by excellent closing denouement of older classic songs. The first being The Shy Retirer again showcasing both the disco rhythm and the desperate wit, (personal favourite lyrics “You know I’m always moaning but you jump start my serotonin” or “c****d circus never ends”). Then the show finishes with Soaps and with that Arab Strap are away to rapturous applause as there successful reunion shows no signs of abating.