LIVE REVIEW: PVRIS, Scene Queen, Sophie Powers, O2 Academy, Glasgow, 13/05/2024
Photo Credit: India Flemming
When PVRIS decided that Glasgow would be one of only four UK dates for the OIL & WATER tour it was most likely a reflection back to January 2023 when the same venue was packed out for an outstanding night of music … well, tonight would be the same as the Massachusetts band toured the EVERGREEN album, released last July with the only other UK dates being Birmingham and London following the unfortunate cancellation of the Manchester show.
The first support act was Toronto’s Sophie Powers, a young lady making friends and new fans wherever she plays. To be chosen for this tour with PVRIS surely must be the highlight of this eighteen year olds career so far? Just after 7.30pm the light went down as the packed out venue cheered wildly as Powers and the other band members took to the stage for a half hour set. Nosebleed was her debut single on the Atlantic Records label and this one went down well with the fans tonight, even though most folk would be seeing Powers for the first time tonight a good few knew the bigger songs. U Love It, the biggest released song to date went down a treat and there was even time for newly released track Wooh! To be played live for the first time. A very lively act got everyone warmed up nicely. 8/10.
Scene Queen is gaining lots of headlines these days and she is back in the UK for the Download Festival next month, with her ‘Bimbocore’ style; a subgenre of metalcore with feminist themes. The eight-track set began with recent release Finger, perhaps not a track for those easily offended! 18+ continued on a more serious theme as the subject of sexual misconduct within the industry is tackled, the lyrics “18+, 18+, get those children off your bus” helping get the point across. The guitarist provided plenty of extra entertainment on the stage with some amazing jumps as well as outstanding work on the strings. Barbie & Ken was the highlight of the set with the explosive guitar playing and lyrics being a standout. Scene Queen release her debut album Hot Singles In Your Area on 28th June setting up 2024 for a huge year for her. 9/10.
The high-energy Monday night fun continued when PVRIS took to the stage around 9.15pm, immediately getting the fans onside with I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE, the leading track from the EVERGREEN album, the three musicians on the stage were working so hard already as ANIMAL, another track from EVERGREEN kept the fans energy high. Frontwoman Lynn Gunn provided some great guitar work on Fire bringing the energy levels up a notch or two while LOVE IS A … provided some good interaction with the O2 Academy crowd, Glasgow brought its best for a Monday night! Latest release OIL & WATER goes down well with the knowledgeable fanbase and it’s amazing how quickly bands can build new tracks into a setlist and make them fit.
It could well be that the next time we see PVRIS touring in the UK it will be an arena tour, that’s how good they are. The only track we didn’t get to hear from last year’s EVERGREEN album was HEADLIGHTS, with all other ten featuring on the 24 track setlist, SENTI-MENTAL sounded incredible live as Gunn encouraged a fan singalong “I was senti-mental, I was losing my mind”, one of the highlights of the set and a nice memory for the fans to take home. As the set neared a close all the big hitters came out with Hallucinations and EVERGREEN once again electrifying the venue to fever pitch while a shortened version of St Patrick was one of the best of the set with Gunn’s vocals being at their truest here. The band then left the stage for a couple of minutes to a thunderous roar to get their breath back before returning for a two-song encore beginning with My House and ending with GODDESS, a surprise during the last track when Scene Queen appears on stage to duet with Gunn to the delight of the crowd. A very special end to the night and an outstanding hour and a half from PVRIS. They begin the USA leg of their tour on 1st June in California and this continues until the middle of July, so a very busy year ahead for PVRIS. 10/10.
Written by: Alan Brown
