Album Review

The Xcerts – Live At King Tut’s

• 26th Jul 2009

The best live albums leave you gutted you weren’t actually there, seeming to capture a one-off performance that wasn’t just another date on the road. The Xcerts have that vibe going on in spades with this recording of a recent Glasgow show at King Tut’s, the single launch for “Crisis in the Slow Lane”. Murray Mcloed’s between-songs chat trembles with emotion at times, inspired by the small but impassioned crowd’s furtive response to tracks like singalong favourite “just Go Home”. An achingly intimate rare solo rendition of “Aberdeen 1987” adds to the feeling of a special night. This record really sells the Aberdeen outfit as a live act; the sound is brilliant, each angsty anthem delivered with pained conviction and studio tightness.