"Welcome to Laugh Along With Tom," joked the master of miserablism as he launched into another of his patented songs of angst and despair.

Making a drizzly night seem like summer compared to the downbeat goings-on at the Concorde 2, the undeniably bitter Tom McRae held a semi-swaying crowd in awe with his beautiful sounds.

Kicking off with Karaoke Soul from his second album, Just Like Blood, McRae set the tone for a night of reflection and remorse.

This might not sound like the perfect recipe for a fun night out but his songs are so strong, well written and expertly performed that melancholy was staved off thanks to an underlying love of the music - take the devastating but curiously uplifting The Boy With The Bubblegun, from his Mercury prize-nominated, self-titled album, as a prime example of his power.

Not your usual Saturday night out, then, but McRae is not your usual performer and long may he stay that way.