Madhatters, Inverness, 17 December 2010

FOR MANY, the release of The Xcerts second album’ Scatterbrain’ represented patient progress rather than any significant artistic development, with this progress manifesting musically into a more direct and accessible sound, fundamentally a  consolidation of the elements which made  2009’s debut, ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’, so promising.

What’s more, in an impatient climate, they appear to be charging through this potentially sticky phase still very much on the rise; and with two thirds of the band originally from Aberdeen, their recent Inverness show proved to be a triumphantly intimate stop-gap, en-route to the two hometown shows set to close the winter leg of their current tour.

Having seen the trio during the very early buzz and on several occasions post debut, what became immediately evident was The Xcerts have matured into a considerably slicker proposition in the live environment, boasting a growing awareness of depth, scale, projection and an explicit technical development.

The Xcerts

In a generally strong set, singles ‘Slackerpop’ and ‘Young (Belane)’ were fantastic, illustrating a sure grasp of melody, groove and craft, and delivered with a measured ferocity which sounded utterly huge. In terms of their older material, ‘Crisis In The Slow Lane’ was particularly impressive and appeared a real crowd favourite.

The Xcerts are certainly not the most progressive band around,  and a host of musical spectres are never far away, perhaps most obviously, two of the finest Scottish bands of recent times, Biffy Clyro and Idlewild (with ‘100 Broken Window’s producer, Dave Eringa, also producing the band’s debut); and whilst they may lack the coherence, melodic bluster and quality of the former, and the originality, inventiveness and general excellence of the latter, there remains something special  about The Xcerts, and within the parameters of familiarity, they are a genuinely exciting live act boasting some excellent material.

The Xcerts

Despite the fairly small crowd for a relatively established act, they remained energetic, focussed and engaging throughout, with no pre-homecoming lethargy, or hangover from the previous evenings sell-out date in the Capital and long snowy drive north.

If the ambition with ‘Scatterbrain’ was to make the kind of record capable of propelling them to significantly wider commercial success, then it perhaps falls a little short, and there are incontrovertible issues with stylistic individuality and overall identity, however, it earned a generally impressive reception, including making influential Scottish taste-maker Vic Galloway’s influential top 75 of 2010; and if they are afforded the luxury of time, and continue to deliver performances like tonight’s, then bigger things look certain. Excellent.

© Alexander Smith, 2010

Links

• The Xcerts