Tindersticks

Nottingham’s Tindersticks bring their slow-blooming indie rock and chamber pop to Usher Hall, Edinburgh, on 5 May 2027. Built around Stuart A. Staples’ deep baritone with David Boulter and Neil Fraser at the core, the group folds in strings, hushed soul shades and a light jazz undertow. From the early self-titled records and Curtains through the more direct Simple Pleasure and Can Our Love…, then the stripped-back Waiting for the Moon, the band has shaped a catalogue that moves with restraint and detail. After a pause for Staples’ solo work, they returned to steady form with The Hungry Saw, Falling Down a Mountain and The Something Rain, and carried on with The Waiting Room, No Treasure but Hope, Distractions and Soft Tissue.

On stage, Tindersticks take their time, letting small surges and quiet breaks do the work, with arrangements that sit close to the bone and the voice up front. A set drawing across decades feels natural here, with space for the film-score sensibility honed alongside director Claire Denis. Songs breathe, textures shift, and the melodies hang around long after the last note.