Broken Records

Promoted to the Queen's Hall after last year's Edge festival performance at the Liquid, and following a year of showing the world just how beautiful music can be, you'd think this old cacophonous church would be the ideal place to show off the orchestral behemoth that is Broken Records. You really would think.

It's an odd experience though. As brilliant as it all should be, this being their home town too, it's a dry atmosphere and a workmanlike performance that never approaches that preaching passion both logic, and venue, suggests it should be.

Nevertheless, a below par Broken Records performance is like a weaker Martin Scorsese film, and all the elements that thrill are intact, if not working to full potential. And it's hard to go wrong on such brilliant Celtic joy as 'One Good Reason'.

It ends on a high too, with 'The Slow Parade' a communcal encore fit for the occasion, shaking the pews and converting the cynics.

Below expectations certainly. But it's their own fault for setting the bar so high.