Confidence Man // Barrowlands // 24.11.24

There’s something almost alchemical about Confidence Man’s live show—a transformation not just of music into movement, but of an audience into a giddy, uninhibited sea of joyous abandon.

On a dreich Sunday night in Glasgow, when the weather outside made even the most vibrant souls consider an early night, the Australian quartet turned the Barrowland Ballroom into a heaving Ibiza superclub. For 90 minutes, this wasn’t just a gig. It was aerobic absurdity, a fever dream of glitter and groove.

The band kicked off with “Now U Do”, a sly opening salvo that oozed playfulness. Janet Planet, resplendent in one of her many ensembles (we’ll get to that brassiere later), sashayed onto the stage with a confidence bordering on swagger. Her co-conspirator, Sugar Bones, matched her step for step, grinning like a man whose every wink comes with its own strobe light.

By the time they launched into “Does It Make You Feel Good?”, the question was rhetorical. The crowd—a mix of seasoned ravers, indie kids, and disco dads—was already in thrall, limbs moving in ways they might not on a Monday morning. Sugar Bones and Planet’s choreography is a marvel of stamina and satire, a sort of jazzercise-meets-Björk-on-a-bender extravaganza. That they can sustain this high-octane ridiculousness for an hour and a half defies belief. Watching them twist, strut, and leap, you’re less inclined to wonder how they do it and more inclined to wonder why anyone else bothers trying.

The set moved seamlessly into “All My People”, Planet had donned the now-iconic glowing brassiere, a piece of sartorial lunacy that’s half fashion statement, half dance-floor lighthouse. The audience, already whipped into a frenzy, responded to its unveiling like they’d just seen the Sistine Chapel ceiling for the first time.

The night’s first major highlight came with “Boyfriend (Repeat)”, a song whose titular repetition found a home in a communal singalong that could probably be heard as far away as Buchanan Street.

Confidence Man understand the mechanics of a great pop hook, but they also understand its theatrical possibilities. As the crowd screamed “He’a just a REPEAT of what I had before!,” Sugar Bones cavorted across the stage like a man possessed, Janet Planet preened like a disco queen, and their rhythm section—Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild, stoic behind meshed veil visors—kept the whole absurd machine running.

Costume changes came thick and fast, each one more ludicrous than the last. By the time “Real Move Touch” was played the showmanship had peaked – much to the sold out crowds delight.

The energy peaked again with “Holiday”, a sun-drenched banger that somehow managed to make Glasgow in late November feel Mediterranean. You could almost hear the waves crashing and taste the sangria—if you ignored the lingering aroma of Tennent’s.

An encore was inevitable, and Confidence Man delivered with “3AM (LA LA LA)”, a fitting closer for a night that felt less like a gig and more like a euphoric bender you never wanted to end. As they took their final bows, sweat-drenched and grinning, you couldn’t help but marvel at their stamina. The rest of us were knackered just watching.

Confidence Man may not take themselves too seriously, but their mastery of live performance is no joke. They are a glittering, unhinged reminder that sometimes, the best way to beat the gloom of a dreich night is to dance like your life depends on it. And if you don’t, well, “Now U Do.”