Sigrid @ Barrowlands, Glasgow, 24 Mar
Celebrating new album There's Always More That I Could Say, Sigrid brings her effervescent brand of Scandinavian pop and rock to the Barrowlands
Sometimes if you walk past a music venue on the night of a show, it’s a fun game to try and guess who is performing, based on the crowd queuing outside. Usually, it’s pretty easy; not so on this Tuesday evening in Glasgow. You’d have a hard time pinpointing that Sigrid was due on stage at the Barrowland Ballroom from a glance at the audience. It's a real mix; genuinely multigenerational, but also a hodgepodge of vibes and styles. The message is clear: there’s no one type of Sigrid fan.
Since emerging almost a decade ago with a uniquely timeless brand of effervescent Scandinavian pop, Sigrid has gradually broadened her sound, adding emotional depth to her hook-heavy instincts with each album. More recently, she’s edged away from those synthy pop origins towards a more guitar-heavy, straight-up rock sound on her latest record, There's Always More That I Could Say.
That album, released last October, makes up the bulk of tonight's setlist – all ten tracks feature over the course of the show – and provides a strong showcase for Sigrid’s terrific live band. It’s a well put-together group of musicians, and each are given space to shine across the 90-minute set. Highlights from the new material include emphatic opener I’ll Always Be Your Girl and hesitant love song Jellyfish. As Sigrid sings, 'If you go dancing, I’ll go dancing too', she proves she’s a woman of her word, leading the crowd in a twisty, jellyfish-esque routine. They don’t need much encouragement – it’s a crowd that is more than up for it, matching her energy and dancing throughout.
The only moment of real restraint arrives when Sigrid shifts to piano for a trio of her saddest songs: There's Always More That I Could Say, Home to You and Dynamite. This section allows her to show off her powerful vocals, a detail often obscured by the instrumentation and her easy-breezy performance style. The pause provides an opportunity for chat: “I haven’t spoken to you yet, which isn’t like me,” she says. “I mean, I literally called my album There's Always More That I Could Say… because there really is always more that I could say!” She reflects on past Glasgow shows, YouTube comments and tour in-jokes. She also reveals that infectious hit Sucker Punch was written about an experience at the nearby Saint Luke’s of all places. Glasgow, it seems, has a legitimate place not only in her heart but in her actual discography.
She closes with a pair of feelgood throwbacks from that very debut album: Strangers and Don’t Kill My Vibe. No risk of anything ever killing this crowd’s vibe. The double-header gives the unashamedly joyful room one last chance to dance and they grab it with characteristic enthusiasm.