Du Blonde @ Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, 23 Jan

Anybody attending Du Blonde’s show will have had a shock on the way there, when their mobiles told them to prepare for the worst. The disaster alarm, warning of the impending Storm Éowyn, sets the scene nicely for a post-apocalyptic hoedown with revelations and resurrections aplenty. 

Support band bigfatbig also double as Du Blonde’s backing band, but it’s clear from their infectious set of pop bangers that they're not prepared to take a back seat. Picture Daphne and Celeste at Reading, but they’re the ones throwing the bottles.

Du Blonde is the nom de guerre of Beth Jeans Houghton, and there are some interesting parallels with Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem. Not just the symmetry of the names, the past indie dabblings, and the reinvention as hyped up, hyper-real pop superstars. There’s also the fierce strain of independence that runs through both artists’ work. On this form, and with such an ecstatic reception from the sold-out Glasgow crowd, it seems that Du Blonde could be the next arena hot ticket. 

The majority of the set comes from latest album Sniff More Gritty and tracks like Lucky and Blame are already fan favourites. There's still space for previous hits like I’m Glad That We Broke Up, dedicated to its original collaborator, Ezra Furman. A mid-set acoustic break slightly lowers the energy in the room, but also shines a light on the more soulful side of Du Blonde’s no holds barred, pop-punk compositions.  

What’s clear throughout is that the crowd is on Du Blonde’s side. The road to this tour has not been easy. Struggles with health, gaslighting by entitled music business execs, and long periods of crippling self-doubt have been the crucible from which Du Blonde has been reborn – a fighter, an artist, a flag-bearer for independent talent. By the time we get to the singalong finale of TV Star, you can sense the crowd willing the band on, shouting along with every line. 

The end of the world as we know it? There’s a storm coming, that’s for sure. This is Beth’s world, we just live in it.