Tricky @ The Arches, 19 Feb

His trademark rasp might be buried in the mix, but stadium-aspiring pretenders would do well to emulate Tricky’s panache. Walking on to an instrumental cover of Sweet Dreams, he shakes his back at the crowd for its duration. Finally turning around to stalk the stage during Past Mistake, he barely whispers into the mic while his band carries the track. Black Steel is flawless but Tricky only dances, his eyes glued to the ceiling. Then that agitated demeanour progressively bubbles to the surface for a glorious embellishment on Vent, flowing seamlessly into a stunning revamp of its descendant Joseph from last year’s Knowle West Boy. Roaring now, more covers are chosen carefully; Ace of Spades is given a faithful airing and Tricky finally has us in the palm of his hand. But it’s all in the pacing as much as that voice, which, as one punter astutely observes is “just like another instrument, maan”. [Dave Kerr]