LIVE REVIEW: The Twilight Sad, Deary, Theo Bleak, Barrowland, Glasgow, 06/05/2026
Photo Credit: Abbey Raymonde
With two sold out shows at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, The Twilight Sad were coming to the end of a very successful tour of Europe and the UK that has seen them play shows in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium and France before the six UK dates and a final show in Dublin. They would showcase nine out of the ten tracks from their sixth studio album IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE alongside a wider range of fans favourites from the past.
Theo Bleak (Katie Lynch) was already on the Barrowland stage when we arrived and the Dundee singer left a good impression on those that got down early for her set. We have memories of seeing Theo in her home town of Dundee back in the summer of 2022 for the first time when Noel Gallagher played a show in the city of discovery. Debut album Bargaining was released in December and provided a few new songs for us including Megan In New York that went down well with the crowd that was swelling in numbers by the end of each song. The music of Theo Bleak can be described as introspective so is well suited to a night alongside The Twilight Sad. Last track Peach Sky was really atmospheric and Theo and her band received an appreciative round of applause as they left the stage. 7/10
After a quick turnaround from the crew Deary take to the stage at 8.15pm, the London band offer a mix of shoegaze and dreampop, we have been fans since the release of single The Drift in 2024 and have waited a couple of year to see them after band clashes at Sound City and the Edinburgh Psych Fest meant we missed out on their performance. Vocalist Dottie Cockram (vocals & guitar) and Ben Easton (guitar) are the perfect combination as the band work through a few tracks from debut album Birding that was freshly released last month. The Drift is one of those songs that make you do just that – drift, the guitar work from both is exceptional and last song Fairground the band’s first ever release in 2023 is also a standout from the six-track set. 8/10
Vocalist James Graham and Guitarist/songwriter Andy MacFarlane may be the only two original members of the band now but we couldn’t have asked for better touring musicians to join them than drummer Cat Myers of Mogwai fame and Simone Butler on bass and a former member of Primal Scream, both were exceptional tonight. The Barrowland Ballroom is now packed wall to wall in anticipation of the band taking to the stage at 9.15pm to a deafening roar from the capacity crowd. They boldly decide to start the set with four tracks from IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE, we couldn’t have thought of a better song to start the set than DEAD FLOWERS followed by DESIGNED TO LOSE, two stunning tracks from the latest release that set the tone for the rest of the show, yes these songs are still relatively new to everyone but they are played so well live with the input of all four musicians on stage mesmerising at times.
WAITING FOR THE PHONE CALL is one of those songs that hits you really hard the first time you listen to it, the subject matter of the lyrics alongside the music sets the bar really high as the crowd watch on in silence taking it all in, James Graham puts everything he has into this one, well to be honest he does that with all seventeen songs tonight, this guy is one unique talent. The first of four songs from the It Wont Be Like This All The Time album is VTr, another one that goes down well with the crowd as does Last January with the set moving back and forward through the years. Simone Butler takes to the keyboard for Videogram while Cat Myers is smashing it on the drums, Andy MacFarlane is as laid back as ever on the other side of the stage while James puts his heart into this one. The second track from Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave is There’s A Girl In The Corner, the crowd all know this one and join in with the chorus, this is a goosebumps moment for us as we stand in awe of the great musicianship on the stage.
BACK TO FOURTEEN is followed by two from the 2014 album Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters taking us right back with album opener Cold Days From The Birdhouse and the brilliant And She Would Darken The Memory. The set ends with one more from IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE and it is the last track on the record TV PEOPLE STILL THROWING TVS AT PEOPLE that sends us all home happy with what we have just witnessed. James Graham falls to his knees and no wonder, he has left everything on that famous stage tonight. It was such a pleasure to (almost) hear the latest album in full tonight, maybe they should have went all out and included THE CEILING UNDERGROUND but nobody was complaining about that! 10/10
Written by: Alan Brown
