Run the Jewels @ O2 Academy, Glasgow, 16 Nov

With a fresh haircut and his signature chipped teeth mended, Danny Brown looks almost unrecognisable as he marches onstage to Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. It’s genuinely nice to see him looking well, and any doubt that his manic energy has somehow dulled crumbles with an earth-shattering performance of Die Like a Rockstar. Bouncing around the stage with the verve of an agitated child, it’s a joy to report that while the man might look slicker, he’s still wonderfully wild. Tossing out his clothes into the crowd, starting with his (expensive looking) jacket, by the time he closes out his set with Pneumonia he’s lost everything but his trousers and t-shirt. 

When Brown struts off stage – shoeless, beltless and watchless – half the audience already seem ready to leave, satisfied and physically drained by his infectious vigour. If they had they would have gotten their money’s-worth, but by the time Run the Jewels trudge onstage the room is unequivocally ready for round two. A giant gold 3D replica of their trademark emblem flying high above them, El-P and Killer Mike open with a proclamation: “We came to burn this stage to the fucking ground.”

Okay, they probably say that at all their shows. But their set at the O2 Academy is honestly a big deal for them, too. It's the last date of their extensive 2017 world tour, and the duo go for broke. After an explosive rendition of Oh My Darling (Don’t Cry), they take a break to chat about how they celebrated the occasion; they got high – obviously – and spent the day shopping for gifts. Throwing an assortment of merch to the crowd, the pair know not to let the skit overstay its welcome and plunge straight back into their setlist with 36” Chain, standing back-to-back as they spit lines with savage ferocity.

We don’t need presents to tell us that El-P and Killer Mike are good guys, though. It’s just in their nature. With their humility and hilarious pantomime-esque banter, Run the Jewels earn the trust of their audience, meaning the more sober moments land harder. For a band whose identity is so interwoven with politics, to see them nod to the current sexual assault controversy plaguing the music industry and beyond is unsurprising, but welcome nonetheless. It’s amazing that in 2017 we need Run the Jewels to tell us that harassing women makes you a “foul motherfucker”, but that’s where we are apparently. 

It’s an important moment in the set, but it in no way hijacks the night. Without missing a beat, they jump straight into Hey Kids (Bumaye). Brown runs back onstage to join them for his verse, now inexplicably donning only his boxers – he must have lost the rest backstage. Hopping around stage in his underwear is probably the most Danny Brown thing that has ever happened, and is a vivid reminder of what a treasure the man is. That the incident has gained some coverage in the music press is surprising only for the fact that it means this hasn’t happened before.

Before Run the Jewels exit the stage, they've one last token of wisdom to impart: “Everybody gets depressed, everybody has anxiety. If you feel suicidal, talk to someone. Most of all, love one another.” It’s hard to imagine anybody getting irritated by these tangents when El-P and Killer Mike are speaking such universal truths, but those who wanted a more vicious end to the set get their way when the duo come back on for an encore – there was no way they weren’t going to do an encore – of A Christmas Fucking Miracle and their eponymous debut track. That El-P and Killer Mike can lead the room from reverent silence to a moshpit in a matter of minutes says it all, doesn’t it?