This week, Take That: could they still be magic? I find out as their UK tour kicks off at the Hydro and I reckon I've found the best burger in Glasgow…

Take That @ The Hydro

Take three lads from a 90's boyband; are they still all that? Last week, Take That kicked off their UK tour in Glasgow with five sold out dates in the Hydro; that's a whopping 65,000 folk, or a chunky percentage of the country's population: mostly female, giddy with screams and knocking out some old school dance moves.

The successful man-band were a man-down after losing Robbie Williams but then, at the end of last year, Jason Orange decided to take off too. It might not mean much musically - Gary Barlow has always been Take That - but it does make the trio look a wee bit lonely on their gigantic stage.

Because, one thing that Take That do well is put on a show. And this tour is no different. It's a cavalcade and in fact, so elaborate that, to begin with, we wondered if we'd stepped into an Opening Ceremony. They had aerialists and actors, eighteen energetic dancers, a seven-piece band and two big seating sections of extras who worked everything from a violin to an umbrella. Sadly, no John Barrowman or giant Tunnocks tea-cakes, though!

They said they chose Glasgow to start their first tour as, and I quote Barlow here, 'What's left of Take That' because we are the noisiest of all cities and, there is no doubt, that on the night, that was true. The screams were deafening. Well, they were when the classics played - Patience, Pray, Back For Good - less so for their more recent album creepers, like 'I like It' (which, I don't), which seemed not really to strike a chord with even their most die-hard of fans.

I wasn't a Take Thatter when I was younger but their come-back album Beautiful World is one of my favourites. This time around, despite all the spectacle, the lad's performance felt honest, albeit a little bit lacking. Could they be magic (again)… well, I think we might need to have a little Patience.

El Perro Negro @ Brewdog

If you thought the burgeoning burger scene in the city couldn't possibly have room for one more, you'd be wrong. The chips are certainly not down for patties and buns, especially where El Perro Negro is concerned: because they are making the best burgers in Glasgow right now. Really. On a side note, I need to be careful that this baby doesn't, in fact, turn into a burger!

El Perro Negro was dreamt up by self-taught chef Nick Watkins, after encouragement from friends and family he started hosting secret dining events, before he hit success at Bar Bloc with his first pop-up. Here, The Top Dog was born. Don't let the name confuse you, this is no piddly hot dog: it is the king of burgers, the dogs baws (not literally, of course) and the most spectacular bite of beef in a bun I've ever had.

What makes it so good? The burger is crafted from a rare breed patty, rare breed bacon, bone marrow and Roquefort butter, caramelised onion and black truffle mayo. And. Oh. My. Goodness. It is exceptionally juicy, bursting with flavour: none of the ingredients overpower each other but are balanced perfectly. It was messy and delicious and a heavenly meal for a Sunday evening.

Nick has moved from Bloc and is now hosting regular take-overs in the kitchen at Brewdog on Argyle Street: a good match as they're both leaders of the pack. It's also a great pairing because nothing goes quite so well with a burger as a beer (except maybe chips!) Catering for all tastes (and months of gestation) I was delighted to discover that Brewdog make a low-alcohol beer (0.5%), appropriately named Nanny State. So, for the first time in 6 months I had a beer. It made my night!

There's more up the sleeves of Nick's chef whites than just The Top Dog, of course, and despite the success of his pop ups (they had to turn folk away on Sunday because of demand) he hopes to one day open up a place of his own. I thought I would scoff and say Glasgow doesn't need A.nother burger place but, of course, if it's good enough it would succeed. And I think that El Perro Negro is that good.

Wee Bird Recommends

This week Wee recommend jazzing up your Friday lunchtimes with a sneaky peak of the new Theatre Royal with their Balcony Bites. Laid back live music, lovely lunches from new cafe bar Vanilla Black and exclusive access to the roof top terrace with amazing views across the city (although we might need the sun to remember it's nearly summer for that!) It's the perfect way to start your weekend early: from 12pm every Friday in May.