I’d heard mixed reports about the Corn Exchange.  From the main road it is a nice bit of architecture.  The old storage buildings now part of the Exchange Village contain anything from bowling to football.  The positives came from Embra folk, whilst the negatives by those from Glasgee!  Was it just a city bias?

Inside it reminds you of an assembly hall from a High School built in the 60s!  The stage could be higher, but being tall it wasn’t a problem.  The girl next to me seemed to have brought the biggest ‘hand’ bag (more like body bag) – totally unnecessary for a gig, obviously a rookie, or badly prepared – and continue to whack my arm with it most of the evening!

Turning up with my 4 tickets for Death Cab for Cutie, I met my 2 friends on the street corner.  First problem!  The GigWife (as she will now be known) started blabbing about the absence of our 4th person just as someone looking for a ticket walked past.  Problem solved.  As per usual when a semi-cult like band comes a touring, we all met people we knew at the gig.  My meeting was by far the most impressive, a semi-Canadian from the Tain, way up North!

Perhaps it was my weary mind, perhaps just an experience of many great gigs, perhaps too much time on The OC, but there was something lacking. For me, the encore was exceptional, featuring two of my favourite tracks from Transatlanticism.  Plans seemed to be the crowds best loved album, judging by the response of the crowd to the tracks played off it.  Haven’t spent a lot of time listening to Narrow Stairs, but the sound for many of the songs just didn’t seem to work.  The two guitars, didn’t seem to complement each other.  The band sounded much better with one guitar and a keyboard or with two bassists!  There is no doubt that this lot are a talented bunch.  They write fantastic songs.  The literally epic stories being my favourite.  Maybe we just expect too much.  We push the boundaries of what we require to be entertained further and further.  Now, what next?