Scouting For Girls do this thing. They say, when you come to see Scouting For Girls, you don’t just see Scouting For Girls, you are IN Scouting for Girls; and this invitation, while playful, is one that the audience in Scarbrough last week seemed all too happy to accept.

The Grand Hall, at Scarborough Spa, is one of the larger capacity venues on this second leg of SFG’s 2023/2024 tour, as they ride the success of ‘The Place We Used To Meet’, their 7th studio album. But even here, the warmth, enthusiasm and generosity of the band can make the height and breadth of the Victorian hall seem like the warm circle of a campfire.  Perhaps this is to be expected, given that frontman Roy Stride describes both himself and bandmates Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard as ‘very wholesome’; friends who met at cub scouts and school and who have been playing together (literally and musically) for over 30 years. It’s also reflected in the choices for their support acts, who revved up the crowd with unmistakable talent and good humour.

Vince Freeman’s warm and resonant voice, and edgy folk-influenced sounds from his debut album Scars, Ghosts and Glory, set the tone for a hugely enjoyable night – particularly with the heartfelt and uplifting ‘Imposter’.

He was followed by Scottish singer-songwriter Callum Beatie who won the crowd with ‘Something in My Eye’ (his record in support of mental health charity Mikeysline), gravelly vocals, and upbeat 80’sesque vibes. (Think Rod Steward meets The Strike)

SFG have described this latest album as a return to their earlier upbeat pop style; the set was a comprehensive and cohesive mix of old classics and new work where, despite the range, nothing seemed out of place. Even the opening, the trance-like reprise of the albums title track, and the most stand-alone work of the collection, provided a few moments of glorious tension building before SFG erupted onto the stage opening, with the upbeat and joyful, ‘The Missing Part’. The audience was a wide mix – some at their first gig, too young to remember the 2007 debut song ‘She’s So Lovely’, but singing along and bouncing around, alongside equally excited lifelong fans who have been along for the ride since the beginning.

Audience involvement was encouraged throughout, with a special mention for touring guitarist Nick Tsang who supported in more ways than one, whipping up the crowd with a grin and a wave, alongside brilliant, high-energy solos. Strides surprise appearance among the audience, on the balcony of the grand hall during Posh Girls, made for laughs and excitement, while the mash up of Elvis isn’t Dead/Cant Help Falling in Love With You – with audience participation – gave everyone a genuine case of the warm and fuzzies; more so even than the appearance of an actual campfire and a rousing, hilarious and tongue-in-cheek chorus of Kumbaya, Scout-style.

Stage filming for Raise a Glass, the anthemic 10th track on the album, led to some great energy from the crowd, with the sea shanty undertones more than appropriate for the venue; but for me the stand-out track of the night was the beautiful and euphoric ‘Glow’, encapsulated beautifully by the simple but beautiful neon stage design.

Underpinning all of this is brilliant musicianship and the kind of tightknit familiarity that comes from a lifetime of running with the same pack. You can’t watch Scouting For Girls and not want to run with them – not least because in this, their element, nuances that are lost via the radio and even in their albums are made wholly apparent. There can be no end of snobbery in some quarters over simplified or predictable lyrics, but when you see them performed, they take on an authenticity and a charm that’s hard to deny, and that only happens when the performances are as genuine, fun-loving, playful and exuberant as they are on this tour. This is a band enjoying what they’re describing as some of their best years, and it shows.

If you missed them here and want to catch them on the road, the tour continues for the next few months culminating on the 16th of November in Hull.