Homecoming Live: Top Scottish artists enjoy classic Homecoming with series of SECC gigs

Nov 30 2009 By Fraser Wilson and Paul English

THOUSANDS of music fans partied the night away as the cream of Scottish music - new and old - brought the Homecoming celebrations to a thrilling finale on Saturday evening.

Ticket sales may not quite have lived up to expectations but the same could not have been said of the entertainment on offer at Homecoming Live - The Final Fling.

Fans enjoyed top acts in three halls. The Armadillo featured past and present favourites including Deacon Blue, Hue and Cry, Lloyd Cole, The Skids, Midge Ure, The Bluebells and Tommy Reilly.

In Hall Two, The View headlined with support from rising stars Pearl And The Puppets, Teenage Fanclub, Idlewild, King Creosote, The Vaselines, The Law, Twin Atlantic.

And in The Lomond Suite, trad stars such as Mike Scott and Eddi Reader wowed their fans after the Red Hot Chilli Pipers had got things off to a raucous start.

A highlight for those in Hall Two saw Jon Fratelli and his new bandmate Lou Hickey join the party with Fratelli's new band Codeine Velvet Club.

Their sassy set got things moving early on and set the stage for The Vaselines and King Creosote - newly crowned Singer-songwriter of the Year at the Tartan Clef awards just a night before - to rock the hall with a distinct tartan tinge.

But it was the arrival of Edinburgh rockers Idlewild just before 9pm which really got the crowd jumping as Roddy Woomble - sporting a beard which Saint Nic would be proud of - led his band through a blistering set reminiscent of their guitar-laden Captain-esque early days.

And it proved a night to remember for bass guitarist Gareth Russell as he dashed from the stage following the band's 'Scottish Fiction' finale after being told his wife was in labour.

Teenage Fanclub took the older members of the audience down memory lane before the Pearl and the Puppets squeezed a three-song set in, Katie Sutherland taking the short opportunity to prove once again she is a star in the making.

It was clear who the vast majority of the 2000 strong crowd in Hall Two were there to see though and when Dundee rockers The View - the new Tartan Clef live band of the year - hit the stage the hall went mental.

'Superstar Tradesman', '5Rebeccas' and 'Shock Horror' were highlights of a performance cut short by the gig's over-run. But hat's off to View frontman Kyle Falconer who gave a brilliantly rumbustious performance just days after his mother's sudden death.

In total just under 7000 fans turned out across the three venues throughout the day.

In the Lomond Suite Dougie Maclean's Caledonia captured the essence of the event and Eddi Reader was typically mesmerising.

Punk legends The Skids, featuring Richard Jobson, returned to the stage and gave a powerful performance in the Armadillo.

Local legend Midge Ure sang Ultravox hits in a solo acoustic slot while Lloyd Cole and Hue and Cry also rolled back the years with a smattering of 1980s hits.

Much was expected of Armadillo headliners Deacon Blue and they didn't disappoint.

The sound man may have forgotten to turn on Ricky Ross' microphone during 'Born in a Storm' but the band recovered to deliver a passionate finale.

Ross paused to thank fans for sticking by the group for more than 20 years as 300 people got to their feet for 'Dignity', 'Wages Day', 'Fergus Sings the Blues' and 'Real Gone Kid' in a delirious celebration.