It’s been 7 years since The LaFontaines graced the stage of Glasgow’s famous Barrowland Ballroom and they were clearly delighted to be back for tonight’s homecoming.

With a stripped back production, the trio could easily have appeared lost on such an expansive, cleanly lit stage, but right from the opening bars of ‘Alpha’ they delivered a confident, bold set.

Phone lights were in the air for ‘Torture’ along with a sea of vapes as a sickly sweet scent fills the air; “What happened to glow sticks?” remarked frontman Kerr Okan.

The band have a vast back catalogue to pull from, with tracks from ‘Class’, ‘Common Problem’, ‘Junior’, and ‘Business as Usual’ all putting in an appearance. Everything flows seamlessly, with the between song banter tying everything together.

Kerr asked the audience who’s seen them once… twice… three times… fifteen times?! The crowd continued to cheer with each number with Kerr proclaiming “Who would see a band fifteen times?!” But with a 15 year career stretching back there were undoubtedly people there that had.

Mid-set Kerr brought out a special guest, a tiny tot that is his young son who looked out slightly bemused at the crowd whilst tightly in his Dad’s arms, before managing a “Hello Glasgow” into the mic. Kerr pondered what he’ll tell his nursery pals on Monday morning about his Dad playing “…the best place ever”.

The biggest singalongs of the night were reserved for ‘Class’, ‘King’, and ‘Business as Usual’, the title track of their 2024 album as ‘Asleep’ saw the sprung ballroom being put to the test for the ‘pretend last song’.

The night drew to a close on ‘All In’ before the crowd made their way out into a rainy Glasgow Friday night. If this is show 15 for some, there will undoubtedly people returning for round 16 when the opportunity arises.

Words by Jessica Newell