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The Xcerts

Long live The Xcerts, here’s to another 14 years and hopefully bigger things to come.

by Stuart Evans · Photo: Stuart Evans
The Xcerts

Five albums deep into their career, The Xcerts are one of the UK’s finest live acts who really should be commanding a bigger audience.

The latest record ‘Learning How To Live And Let Go’ is a comprehensive collection of songs that range from heavy hitters (album and set opener ‘GIMME’ and heart string pulling ‘Everything I Cannot Live Without’)  the songs feature heavily into tonight’s set  (seven of the 19 songs performed are taken from the new record)

That said we are treated to a run through their career with tracks played from all of the aforementioned five records. Fan favourite and sing-a-long ‘Aberdeen 1987’ and emo punching ‘Slackerpop’ are the stand out moments from their older material.

I first saw The Xcerts in 2009 when they supported fellow Scotsmen Idlewild, they’ve grown as a band and as lead singer Murray MacLeod would confirm that they’ve grown as people too.

Songs like ‘Car Crash Culture’ sound like a fuller, more mature Xcerts yet the excitement and vigour of youth remains at its heart. ‘Jealousy’ has the very animated crowd nodding their head in strong approval whilst ‘Show Me Beautiful’ felt like a lighter in the air moment should people carry such things these days.

A run of new songs ‘Ache’, ‘Jealousy’ and the top of the hit parade worthy ‘Lovesick’ invite the crowd to join in and show the band that we’ve been paying attention and very much enjoying the new record as much as the older ones.

The night ends with arguably The Xcerts most well-known song ‘Feels Like Falling In Love’ the three-piece band and adoring fans singing together in union. It was a truly joyous performance, the band give it their all, in fact they have always given their all.

Long live The Xcerts, here’s to another 14 years and hopefully bigger things to come. 

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