The World Cup is everywhere in Scotland these days, even among the country’s gigging venues. Rolled up Saltires were visible on the balconies of the O2 Academy, a reminder that the Glasgow venue is hosting watch parties for the national team’s matches, and when Lola Young came back onstage for the encore she was serenaded by fans belting out “no Scotland no party”, to which the Londoner cheerfully joined in.
Roughly an hour earlier, the 25-year-old had walked out to the sort of wild reaction that greeted John McGinn hitting the back of the net against Haiti, with screams and hollers from the teenagers dominated the standing section, and hearty applause and shouts from the many couples dotted about the seats. This was not purely your usual excitement at a performer arriving, but a real sense of delight at seeing Young back touring in general, after struggles with her mental health forced her to take a step back from an ascending career.
She referenced this early on, saying she was scared that she would have lost fans during her time away, but the O2 Academy was filled to near capacity, and if the social media soul of opener “SAD SOB STORY! :-)” was a smooth, almost slinking start, then the 1980s MTV era gloss of the following “d£ealer” presented a blast of pop that was rather more dynamic.
With a five piece backing band behind her, Young’s variety in styles proved both a strength and a hindrance. She can cover a lot of ground, from rapid-fire vocals to big powerhouse bellowing, and musically the terrain covered is considerable. That meant she was headbanging furiously on the thrashy rock of “Conceited”, striking a tone of mellow reflection on a languid “Walk On By” and leading a sweary sing-a-long on energetic and punky set-closer “Not Like That Anymore”. The set was therefore never static, and always throwing out something fresh.
However it also meant the quality level could swing around. Young is at her best when full of pizazz and defiance, emphatically telling off whoever has irked her. As such the night’s slower-paced moments – particularly a plaintive “You Noticed” that managed to get phones waved in the air but was otherwise rather dull, and the wispy-thin pop of “Post Sex Clarity”, a song not worthy of consummating anything with – left much less of an impression.
Yet Young’s best moments were electrifying, from “Big Brown Eyes” offering a twerk friendly, hand clapping slice of pop rock to “One Thing” a sashaying dancefloor banger that was impossible not to move to, purple lights covering the stage. There was also a gloriously widescreen “Penny Out Of Nothing”, a song that felt like it could soundtrack a blockbuster film, and an inevitable run-through of break-through hit “Messy” that wrapped up the encore with chantable relish.
It was the earlier “Spiders” that provoked the biggest reaction though, and rightly so. Full-throated vocals, vulnerable lyricism and grunge-flavoured guitars clearly stirred the emotions of many there, from youthful screams to simple cries of adoration from some older fans, and Young carried it off with the abundant dynamism of a true rock star. It is good to have her back.
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