Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Oct

Every face in the crowd waits expectantly for the one song from the back catalogue of Annie Christian (4 stars) that means the most to them, whether from their electro-infused, gloomy and melodic indie origins in the late 90s or when trading under the name The Last Great Wilderness and peddling a heavier, rockier sound. This idiosyncratic Edinburgh band have hovered around the ‘next-big-thing’ lists for years.

Now the original moniker is back but the sound has moved on again, incorporating the wall-of-sound, synthy guitar drone that has become the shibboleth of new rave. Edinburgh support band :cryoverbillionaires. (2 stars) go down this route as well, with a dark and epic rock/dance squall that is perhaps too zeitgeisty for the AC crowd. Where they descend into a nigh on impenetrable racket, AC know how to handle their instruments with finesse.

For a band who have earned their following over the years this gig feels like a cosy, if not quite exultant, homecoming, like a re-union of old lovers reminiscing over familiar stories and ‘their song’. Mine is ‘Secrets and Lies’, thanks for asking. (Suzanne Black)