Belle & Sebastian's Glasgow Weekender review - 'homely and relaxed'

“We can do this, nice weather or not,” said Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Cambell, as sporadic rain showers hit the first night of the Glasgow Weekender, Belle & Sebastian's homely, relaxed new two-day city festival in the spirit of their fabled holiday resort Bowlie Weekender of 25 years ago. This time the venue was SWG3, a converted industrial complex close to their West End heartland with plenty of outdoor space and sleekly converted indoor rooms to give a bit of shelter from the drizzle while artists like indie youngsters Walt Disco played.

Spirits weren't dampened. The stage in the yard hosted the Joy Hotel and revived indie stalwarts Butcher Boy, before Camera Obscura's joyfully received set. A band every bit as evocative of this part of the city as their hosts, the end of the latter outfit’s near-decade-long hiatus due to band bereavement can only be celebrated. New songs like the extraordinarily catchy Liberty Print and Pop Goes Pop sat comfortably alongside beloved classics like Lloyd I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken and French Navy.

For Belle & Sebastian there’s no such thing as a “greatest hits” set, especially when they had consecutive headline slots to fill and loyal fans who had bought tickets for both to reward (only the joyful The Boy with the Arab Strap featured in both nights’ setlists). Their Friday night gig was a deep-dive showcase for both casual fans and those who expect a greater sense of personalisation from this most intimate-feeling of bands. It featured Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying, I Want the World to Stop and Judy and the Dream of Horses – the latter featuring Mick Cooke playing guest trumpet, his first appearance with the Belles in a decade – while Stevie Jackson and Sarah Martin’s vocals led So in the Moment and Give a Little Time, respectively. Stuart Murdoch, meanwhile, proved a magnetic, crowd-geeing presence on a big festival stage, particularly thanks to his self-proclaimed “dad dancing”; an element only intensified when his own kids joined the throng invited onstage at the end.