Friday, July 1st @ ABC, Glasgow, UK

As you'd expect this night was all about the star of the show Antony, as capable as The Johnsons are as a backing band there wasn't a single clap or cheer from the audience when they arrived Antony-less onstage. His arrival at his Piano was greeted with a tumultuous roar only broken by the first few notes of the opening song.

Backed by electric bass, acoustic guitar, accordion, violin and cello the sound could be as fragile, delicate and full as Antony’s own voice. Far from the shy huddled figure that he comes across as in press and TV interviews he chatted amiably with the audience seeming both gregarious and grateful, mentioning his last gig in a city in a small café ("What Happened!?" he asked). Playing a fairly quiet set from both LPs he squeezed in covers of songs by Moondog, Nico, The Velvet Underground (the "Candy Says" finale) and Current 93 into the set, once again making "Soft Black Stars" his own. Rumours that Glasgow resident David Tibet (hey, if Antony still calls him by his old name I can too) would be joining the band onstage proved sadly false. Despite the abundance of other people’s songs he crafted the highlights from his own songs as recent single “Hope there's Someone” was received like the future classic it is. But the most magical moment came with Antony’s now obligatory but still breath taking reading of “Dust and Water” accompanied only by the audience humming a single note as the musical backing. Anyone pausing to take another breath was met with a 360° wall of sound from the surrounding audience that shifted, swelled and fell around them; it’s a rare occasion in these cynical days when a person feels at one with so many others.