The security guard with stained teeth and a warm smile lifts the silver crowd barrier aside and ushers us into the Barrowland Ballroom. It’s lunchtime on the opening day of the fourth 6 Music Festival, and there are waves of noise seeping down Barrowland’s gaudy staircase.

We walk up it, past sound engineers clutching rolls of gaffer tape and steaming plates of catering chilli and there, spread across the dancehall’s stage, are Ride.

The returning shoegazers are soundchecking ahead of ...