It takes a certain kind of confidence to stride onto a Glasgow stage and declare, “I love Glasgow, it’s got real grit—if I were to move anywhere, I think I’d feel right at home here.” A bold claim from Lola Young, considering the city’s collective allergy to out-of-towners adopting it as their own. But we’ll let it slide, given her clear appreciation for the crowd’s no-nonsense energy. That, and the small matter of alleged nepotism—whispers abound that she’s related to The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, a revelation met with the sort of raised eyebrow Glasgow reserves for both suspiciously cheap pints and Westminster politicians.

Support act Bug Eyed kick things off, with the lead singer channelling peak Timothy Chalamet chic—somewhere between tousled charm and brooding indie-boy mystique. Their sound? Imagine the sonic equivalent of walking into a house party where everyone looks cooler than you but still hands you a drink. The standout moment comes with Snug as a Bug—a track that, if I had to make an analogy, is like a lost B-side from Jamie T’s most poetic era, but with a twang of something younger, more self-aware, with super fun synths.

Then, in a flash of unfiltered Gen Z energy, Lola Young bounds on stage, launching straight into Good Books. Her voice is an intoxicating mix of rawness and polish, wielding vulnerability like a weapon. The audience—adoring, half-feral—sings back every lyric, particularly during Big Brown Eyes, a fan favourite that sits somewhere between heartbreak and euphoria.

Then comes Wish You Were Dead—a track that, in another time, might have raised eyebrows but in this room, becomes a communal, slightly chaotic singalong. It’s less a song, more a shared exorcism of bad exes, worse decisions, and the general existential crisis of being 20-something.

The set moves seamlessly through heartbreak and self-reflection—Walk On By is a woozy, late-night lament that sounds like it should be playing in the background of a coming-of-age film where the protagonist just got dumped in the rain. Intrusive Thoughts is a kaleidoscope of disdain and disappointment, fear and fleeting romance, all wrapped up in Lola’s signature mix of self-awareness and biting humour. Crush is equally intoxicating, a song that simultaneously embodies infatuation and the knowledge that it’ll probably end in disaster.

At one point, a fan hands Lola a handcrafted poster, and she beams, declaring, “I want this on a T-shirt—that’s how much I love it.” A meta moment of fan appreciation, if ever there was one.

As the show nears its end, the band stretches out the last track in the set with a strobe-heavy outro, Lola slipping offstage in the thick of it. And then, as the crowd chants “HWFG” (Here We F***ing Go, for the uninitiated), she returns for the encore.

She closes with What Is It About Me—a song that distils all her best qualities: brutal honesty, a voice that feels lived-in, and lyrics that make you wince in recognition. And finally, Messy—the track she credits with changing her life. As the final notes ring out, the crowd lingers, reluctant to leave, hoping for one more song, one more moment.

Grit? Glamour? Gruffalo nepotism? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure—Lola Young just made Glasgow feel like home.

Article: Angela Canavan