Trilby set to rakish and his suit truss tight, Paul Smith leaps from the drum riser with a scissor kick and, just for a moment, as the singer hangs in the air, it could be the cover of A Certain Trigger – the album being celebrated in Glasgow tonight.

Maxïmo Park’s debut is 21 years old. Has it come of age? Not exactly. It sounds very much of its time, all jaggy riff and angsty yelp. Yet the Newcastle band play the hell out of these songs. They sound better now than back then.

They won’t perform the album in full and in order, Smith explains. They’ll throw in tracks from other records. “But,” he reassures, “you will probably hear 97% of it.”

Lacking a pie chart, let’s just say the selection is well judged. The inclusion of recent-ish single Favourite Songs feels pointed. Smith sings the opening words – “My best years are behind me” – with a finger in the air, and then pats his chest in mild defiance: “But I’m damned if I’m giving up.”

Anniversary shows often carry this unspoken question: how to stay dignified and present when selling tickets based on youthful success? Maxïmo Park achieve it through split-atom energy, a dash of humour and the sort of chops you develop from years on the road.

Much attention, understandably, is given to Smith’s stage moves; his pointing technique is such that he could understudy Jarvis Cocker. Worth saying, though, that he has become an impressive singer. The held note at the end of I Want You to Stay is thrilling, and they do well to follow it with Versions of You. A tender reflection on parenthood and absence, it may be their best song.

The rest of the band keep things modest. Guitarist Duncan Lloyd, a human shrug, cranks out tune after tune as if they have nothing to do with him. Only Jemma Freese, exuberant on keys, comes close to pulling focus from the frontman.

They end with Going Missing. One last banger, one last leap from the drums. Maxïmo Park have played the percentages and won.

• At O2 Academy, Liverpool, 8 February; then touring UK until 22 February