MIKA MAKES CLEAR TO GLASGOW THAT THERE REALLY CAN BE METHOD TO MADNESS

LIVE REVIEW | MIKA | SWG3, GLASGOW | 29th January 2026 by Morgan Hermiston

Over his twenty year music career so far, MIKA has grown as a person and as a songwriter. This matured methodology is present in his most recent record “Hyperlove“, released a week ago. MIKA brought this album to life in an intimate stripped back set, and interview style talk, within the confines of Glasgow’s SWG3. I went into this event not sure what to expect, and an announcement before MIKA came on stage did recommend putting all pre-conceptions aside.

While the weather in Glasgow was cold and bitter, the room was packed with people. The level of warmth this generated reflected in MIKA’s approach with the audience. The stage was set up as a mock studio, a minimal look compared to what usually takes place in that venue. Accompanied by two other musicians, MIKA was quick to get started. The first half was mesmerising. He poured a cup of tea and began the journey with the making of “Modern Times“, the first song he wrote for “Hyperlove“.

It was intriguingly intimate to watch and hear how a musical mastermind like MIKA produces his material. We heard stories of how songs were born, the process that followed, and where these fell in the record’s chronology. One particular tale relating how his dog used her eyes to communicate with how his late mother did, was particularly heartwarming, and this lead into another track. He took his cup of tea, and gently tapped his spoon against it, instigating another tale of accidental incidents that sparked the spectacle that is “Spinning Out“.

At around the halfway point, MIKA read out a letter from primary school students from Aberdeenshire, which told him that their teacher was a huge fan of him and it was her “wish” to meet him. He brought the teacher up and in this heart-string pulling portion of the show, he let her help him in a unique rendition of “Immortal Love“, a serenade with the audience, that involved her holding signs of MIKA’s changed lyrics in a Love Actually-style way. This concluded the studio behind-the-scenes, and introduced the beginning of a segment with pre-sent fan questions. Towards the end, he played a relaxed version of ‘Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)‘ which was bound to go down well with fans.

The thing that sparks a lower mark for this event has nothing to do with MIKA. While I agree it’s not fair to rank his event lower for something that isn’t his doing, I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving a perfect score, when it was far from a perfectly ran event. There was a rock or metal gig going on simultaneously underneath the section of SWG3 that we were in. You could feel the bass and thumping despite the concrete surroundings, which I felt took away from the simplicity and soothing serenity that MIKA was, at times, trying to portray.

Unfortunately like usual, there was an audience member heckling numerous times. Though her comments may have been out of adoration for MIKA, it was obvious that he was temporarily thrown off, and even looked a little uncomfortable. His ever-growing experience allowed him to quickly shrug this off, though, even if she did keep shouting. I suppose intimate events like this one really highlight who chooses not to follow gig etiquette. I really thought we were all old enough and mature enough now to read a room and not talk when we shouldn’t?

Overall, I think events like this are really interesting, and I would absolutely love to attend another one. I think seeing how someone of his calibre writes and records his song, even while equally dubbing himself “the worst guitarist in the world”, is an experience like no other. With so many venues in Glasgow to choose from, I do wonder if a different venue might have changed my perspective, as this can’t have been the only option. I think MIKA is an artist for all generations, which was pretty clear with the audience that bought tickets to attend.

Hyperlove is out now and you can catch the sensational MIKA back in Scotland in the summer with appearances at Belladrum Festival and Kevingrove Park’s Summer Nights at The Bandstand