Alex G @ Barrowlands, Glasgow, 17 Nov
The lo-fi indie hero from Philly delivers a rousing set to a crowd of clearly dedicated (if not entirely attentive) devotees at the Barras
The Barrowland Ballroom might just be Scotland’s most iconic music venue, and it has a well-earned reputation as a raucous cauldron, the sort of place that can make or break an artist. Let the crowd down, and they’ll let you know it. Light the place up, and you’re guaranteed a warm welcome every time you return to Glasgow. Given Alex G’s understated, often entirely acoustic indie rock stylings, you’d be forgiven for thinking he might struggle to fit in at such a hallowed hall. You’d also be entirely wrong.
When the American steps on stage with his band, and the first chords of Louisiana start ringing out, it becomes immediately clear this is a performer who knows how to perform. The sound is deep and loud, but also absolutely crystal clear – each instrument, each voice, each element complimenting each other perfectly. It might be lo-fi, but it’s highly polished.
It’s clear that Alex G is here on a mission; he has a new album to promote, Headlights, and it makes up the bulk of the setlist. Thankfully, it’s a fantastic record, and June Guitar proves to be an early highlight of the night. You’d be hard pressed to find any other artist who could swap their guitar for an accordion mid-song and receive such a rapturous response, and the later appearance of a mandolin provokes similar hysteria among the faithful. Every time the tempo picks up, it’s clear the 32-year-old singer has the Barrowlands firmly in the palm of his hand.
Oranges, Afterlife and Runner also manage to get the near-two-thousand in attendance to jump in unison. At times, Alex G appears to be channelling a mixture of Billy Corgan, Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith, all to great effect. There’s an undeniable sense of warmth and nostalgia that seems to seep out of the band’s instruments.
Alex G @ Barrowlands, Glasgow. Photo by Serena Milesi
Unfortunately, the problems begin when he elects to slow matters down, and indulge in a lengthy keyboard interlude or two. If you’re unaware, Alex G’s enjoyed a great amount of popularity on TikTok thanks to songs like Treehouse and Sarah, and it’s fair to say there’s a not insignificant percentage of paying members of the audience who would like him to play the songs they know from TikTok. The behaviour of some in the crowd is, at times, deplorable; people doomscrolling while the band try and show off their musical chops, groups having entire full-volume conversations during lulls in songs. The lack of respect being shown to the artist, and the other members of the crowd who’ve paid for the privilege of seeing him, does leave a sour taste in the mouth.
Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to bother Alex G much. In fact, he seems to enjoy teasing the crowd, avoiding playing some of the songs that helped him blow up across social media. A promised cover of Penny Lane never materialises, but we do get stunning renditions of Bounce Boy and Headlights.
An encore follows the title track of his latest release, and we do finally get to some of his most popular tunes. He closes with Sarah, which provokes a mass unholstering of phones, many seemingly desperate to record the fact they were there for posterity. The rest of the show was more than worthy of the same sort of attention.