‘I think we’ve all gotten better looking,’ asserted The Beta Band’s frontman Steve Mason with a smile. It had been 21 years since the group’s last performance, and there was a palpable feeling of excitement within the four sweaty walls of the Barrowland Ballroom, where it really did feel as though we were on the brink of witnessing something significant.

An eclectic DJ set from a mysterious masked figure filled the room with an air of suspense before The Beta Band emerged, 20 minutes behind schedule, sounding as though they had been rehearsing every week for the last two decades. Cascading through hits from their fairly compact discography, the boiler suit-clad Fifers employed bongos, cowbells and whatever else they could cram on stage to build a wall of sound brick by brick on every song. DJ, sampler and general all-rounder John Maclean was on particularly fine form, driving the band’s trademark zany sound forward all evening and providing a constant source of enthusiasm and energy that was lapped up by an understandably jovial midweek audience.

Though it’s easy to feel sceptical about the revisionism and nostalgia that feels rife in modern culture, only the most cynical of critics could feel unmoved watching The Beta Band be reunited with their cult followers, particularly as the anthemic ‘Dry The Rain’ rang out around the ballroom. ‘Catch them before they’re holograms’ was the strapline for this tour, though we can only hope that this long-awaited return inspires Mason and co to fend off the bots for a little longer.

The Beta Band are on tour until Saturday 4 October; reviewed at Barrowlands, Glasgow; main picture: Lee Ramsey.