“I LOVE GLASGOW”| BEABADOOBEE ENDEARS SCOTTISH FANS ON OPENING NIGHT

LIVE REVIEW | BEABADOOBEE | GLASGOW O2 ACADEMY 11/11/24 by Anne Kelly

In recent years, the music landscape has seen an incredible evolution, marked by the emergence of diverse artists who defy traditional genres. Among these trailblazers is beabadoobee, the Filipino-British singer-songwriter whose unique sound has captured the hearts and imaginations of young music fans across the world. From bedroom artist to a chart-topping sensation, on Monday (11/11) beabadoobee [Bea] stepped into her biggest UK/EU tour to date; kicking it all off in Glasgow.

A bitterly cold November evening hasn’t put off the hoards of fans who begin queueing outside Glasgow’s O2 Academy from early afternoon, eager to secure that prime spot down the front. With doors opening at 7pm, it doesn’t take long for the former Art Deco style picture house to pack in the long sold out crowds. Having already completed the US leg of the ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves‘ tour, fans may have a rough expectation of what to expect tonight, however, nothing quite beats the opening night of the tour buzz and tonight that feeling is electric.

Before beabadoobee makes her tour debut, the stage is passed over to opening act of the show, Momma. Fairly well established across the pond on the New York indie rock scene, Momma haven’t crossed my radar over here yet but they do leave a lasting impression. Delivering dreamy melodies, jangly guitars, and infectious rhythms that recall the best elements of 90s grunge/alt-rock scene with a contemporary indie pop spin, the quartet appear a little meek at first. Reduced to a very narrow slice of the stage to make way for beabadoobee’s currently disguised set up, the band struggle a bit to convey their energy which I presume is normally a bit part of their stage presence. The sound doesn’t do any favours either and at times it’s difficult to hear the full arrangement, however, I put that down to opening night teething problems. Regardless with just under 30 minutes to warm up the room, Momma still manage offer enough of a snippet to leave me wanting more.

As highlighted above, this is the peak of beabadoobee‘s music journey so far. At just 24 years old, Bea (full name Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus) has released six EP’s and now three studio albums to add her growing discography. In every sense, her growth has been organic and despite now boasting a UK Number 1 album with This Is How Tomorrow Moves [TIHTM] Bea appears as humble as ever.

The snaked queues outside the venue have compressed indoors, and the room is choke-ful with mostly young girls either huddled with their besties, or chaperoned by their nonplussed parents. I was of the latter described, accompanying my own teenage daughter but unassuming I was not: this show was just us much for me than it was for her. After 30 minutes of waiting, beabadoobee and her band illuminates on with ‘California‘. Voices lifted, hands flaring and of course, phones gazing, the show has began.

Latest album TIHTM and 2022’s Beatopia dominate the set list. ‘Talk‘, ‘10:36‘, ‘Charlie Brown‘, ‘Post‘ and ‘Take A Bite‘ form the first chunk of the show which is allows the whole band come together to make some noise and get the momentum elevated before settling to into the more intimate side of Bea’s character. Taking moments between tracks to chat to the crowd doesn’t go unappreciated. “I love Glasgow” Bea shares to roaring applause, before going on to say how excited she is to be starting the tour in this city. The singers best known track ‘Perfect Pair‘ isn’t kept under wraps very long which delights fans both passive and hardcore even more. Endearingly demure yet playful, Bea’s demeanor could make even the hardest of hearts melt a little. When not behind her (many) guitars, she uses the the wide stage, ethereally moving about to connect with the room. Songs such as ‘Perfect Pair’ and it’s successors ‘Real Man’ and ‘Glue Song’ allow Bea to explore her flirtatious side in performance; a trait I fully expect to see more of as her confidence continues to grow.

The songs just keep coming and the intimacy continues to strengthen, reaching a peak vulnerability in the set’s acoustic section. It’s often difficult to maintain a certain level of intimacy in larger venues like O2 Academy Glasgow, but despite the grandiose of the building the emotion is still echoed around the room. In particular, the sentiment of the piano based ballad ‘Girl Song’ resonates deeply with the mostly female strong crowd. I feel completely captivated by the melody and bittersweet portrayal of self love and acceptance it carries; echoing just why beabadoobee’s music has captivated a generation of music fans in the making.

‘Beaches’ see’s fans return the sentiment to Bea when they surprise the singer with a beautiful display of blue lights twinkling across the academy. Using blue paper – many cut in the shape of a wave – placed over the flash on their phone, the room flickers with love leaving Bea visibly moved by the gesture. It’s moments like this that truly make the live experience like no other; an unspoken connection between people who never met, but instantly drawn together and bonded by music.

Sharing how she was actually “super nervous” for this show (referencing it being the first night of a new tour) you would never know it. Whilst this is her biggest headline tour, beabadoobee has performed on much larger stages in the past – including opening up for Taylor Swift on a handful of the ERA’s tour dates. If there are nerves, then they are well composed. The set continues, showcasing a variety of her greatest hits including tracks from debut album Fake It Flowers [2020] (‘Care’, ‘Together’) and even earlier favourites ‘She Plays Bass’ before “finishing” up with ‘Cologne’. Of course, as we all knew, this was just a tease and within a few minutes beabadoobee returned to the stage for a few more tunes. ‘Coming Home’, ‘The Way Things Go’ before befittingly finishing with ‘See you Soon’.

Beabadoobee’s performance was not just a showcase of her talent, but a display of her authenticity. Revealing glimpses of her own vulnerabilities, she fosters a safe space where her fans feel encouraged to embrace their true selves and remember that it’s okay to be imperfect, to feel deeply and be unapologetically oneself. For those who danced, sang, and cheered it was a night they would never forget.

beabadoobee will continue her sold out UK/EU tour throughout November and early December before taking some festive time off to reflect on her most successful year yet.

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