Caroline Polachek @ SWG3, Glasgow, 25 May

The early birds who flock to the front row at SWG3 Galvanizers’ tonight wash up on the shore of Polachek island. Synthetic purple rays peek through the shadowy sand dune set on stage (courtesy of creative director/stage designer Imogene Strauss), which entrances the growing crowd like a glistening twilight oasis. 

Brooklyn-based alt synth-pop artist True Blue welcomes everyone in with a laid-back performance of Bad Behaviour, a minimalist, bass-heavy track over which her Ethel Cain-inspired vocals soar and swoop. She twirls and sways haphazardly, kicking up dust with an absolutely killer pair of blinged-out welly-boot heels as the dissonant keys of Tell Me Texas warble throughout the room. The set reaches a high with the club version of her track Lucy, which leads with the shit-hot line “I fucking dare you to show up” sung over a relaxed electronic beat. True Blue is a polite, sometimes reserved but nonetheless candid and captivating performer.

Just as the audience begins to show signs of restlessness, a Salvador Dalí-style clock beams through the thick darkness and the countdown begins. The minute runs its thrilling course and the stage is illuminated in warm, tropical light as the band (including True Blue, who returns to play bass) assume their positions. They strike out the introductory chords of Welcome to My Island and Polachek struts into the track with untouchable confidence. She is a swashbuckling supermodel, shattering the inhibitions of the crowd with her piercing, painted eyes. Seashells and other such treasures dangle from her bedazzled belt, accenting her wicked pair of laced-up buccaneer breeches. 

Photo: Marilena Vlachopoulou

From the get-go, Polachek’s vocals are effortless, even as she wraps the microphone around her face and drops to a near split. When the rapturous applause eventually fizzles out at the end of her opening track, Polachek notes that this is her first show in Scotland and expresses her gratitude for the warm welcome from the fiery Glasgow crowd. The enchanting vocal hook of Pretty in Possible, the commanding choreography of Bunny Is a Rider and the scorching Spanish guitar of Sunset send the crowd into complete hysteria. 

Someone shouts, “So sexy!” and Polachek fans herself, replying, “It’s great to hear that in a Scottish accent.” She holds her own (and then some) on so many different styles of tracks, guiding us through the ever-evolving world she has made for herself. Storm clouds clear, golden fireflies congregate and sperm cells dance around a hypnotic spiral as the guitarist rips through the solo of Billions. 

Polachek dedicates Smoke to the self-saboteurs in the room as a towering volcano grumbles behind her, solidifying her notion that human beings are natural disasters. More volcanoes appear for her magnum opus, So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings, and the crowd erupts. Polachek’s island is paradise and no one wants to leave. 

“We had a terrible soundcheck,” Polachek laughs when she reappears for the encore. “We thought there might be a ghost in the machine. But you purged the ghost. Let’s go to church.” Singing from somewhere deep within her core, Polachek bathes in the afterglow of an incredible show with hand on heart.