IF you're a touring band looking for a lively support act, then give Gun a call.
Two days after they appeared alongside the Darkness at the ABC, here were the local rockers popping up at the Barrowland, and they performed their duties comfortably, especially as former bassist Dante Gizzi has stepped into the frontman role with suitable pizzazz.
That meant the Cult had a tough act to follow in terms of crowd response, but Ian Astbury and his colleagues are experienced enough to know exactly how to whip an audience into a fervour. Astbury, in particular, oozed genuine stage presence and following his stint in the revamped Doors now echoes Jim Morrison's rock-god stylings more than ever, all shades and a fur-lined jacket, while guitarist Billy Duffy went through such a repertoire of guitar-hero poses that you imagine he drops into them offstage too, perhaps occasionally head-banging and thrusting forward while doing his shopping.
Such an adherence to rock protocol can hinder some bands, but the Cult cut such confident onstage figures it was an enjoyably rowdy gig. New album Choice of Weapon delivered a handful of tracks that mostly fitted neatly in with the past, turbo-charged likes of a terrifically grooving Nirvana and the I Wanna Be Your Dog guitar growl of The Phoenix.
Not all their material had such aggressive verve, however, with the big ballads of Embers and Life Is Better Than Death proving particularly cumbersome. Similarly, although Astbury was consistently charismatic, even his motions couldn't lift a late set lull of fairly similar, chugging rock that dragged matters down, before versions of Spiritwalker and Wild Flower proved elemental enough to restore full-on excitement.
HHH
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