Beabadoobee - O2 Academy, Glasgow 11.11.2024

So, you don’t know Beabadoobee? Where have you been? Beabadoobee rose to prominence with a number of EP’s between 2017 and 2019 but really hit her stride with her trio of albums, released between 2020 and 2024. The last one, 'This Is How Tomorrow Moves', which I was lucky enough to review for this site, reaching number one in the UK charts and rightly so.

Beabadoobee is a real contradiction, the combination of her, at times almost twee voice and her clear indie rock sensibilities together with some of the best writing you will have heard in the last 5 years has seen her star in the ascendancy for some time now.

Her fan base has become increasingly intense and devoted over that time. The atmosphere inside the sold out O2 is tremendous, personally I’m a fan and have been for some time but I felt I just wasn’t invested enough compared to the rest of this audience. The levels of devotion, the party atmosphere, the just sheer joy on show in Glasgow for this gig were immense.

I suspect, with the way Beabadoobee is rising, the next time she plays Glasgow this venue will not be big enough for her! This is an artist going places, if you haven’t joined the Beabadoobee train yet it’s not too late but you really should be on board now.

I saw Pavement not so long ago and she reminds me of times of them but there is also a pop sensibility to her songs that makes her stand out, she really is an excellent artist, think Echobelly meets Elastica but sung in a totally different way!

There isn’t a weak song in this show, Beabadoobee’s voice is perfect, the interaction with the crowd immense and the carnival atmosphere is a joy to be part of. There was a mix of loud guitars and acoustic songs which was perfect, the crowd were loving every second of this show and there was a general feeling in the venue that this might one of the best shows of the year.

I think my favourite song was 'See You Soon', the closing song, as it held out the hope I’d get to be part of this again very soon, if you haven’t seen Beabadoobee live then keep your fingers crossed she goes out on tour again soon, and also releases some new music. This is an artist I just can’t get enough of. Her lyrics cover a number of issues, personal and political with a small p. Her stage presence is excellent and generally she is a star in the making, I’m sure many of those present think she is already a star but I think the sky is the limit, she’s is going to be massive and I feel privileged to have seen her, hopefully I will get to again as I think the mix of 90’s indie vibe, sweetness and joy is truly euphoric at times.

I loved the album when it came out this year, this show did it true justice! Beabadoobee, join the movement, you won’t regret it!

Review - Iain McClay