Lizzie Reid is a bit of an overnight sensation, easily selling out The Glad for two nights and well on the way to a third night tomorrow. The gig was promoted by DF, not usually associated with The Glad, and occasioned the first use of a uniformed security guard in the venue since… probably ever!
As Glasgow celebrated the Platinum Jubilee (maybe an over exaggeration but many did get the day off so not all bad) people were piling into the Glad from an early hour to catch this gig.
The venue was certainly busy when support act Goodnight Louisa started things off with a statement of intent in ‘Get Your Hands off my Girlfriend’. A solo performer from Edinburgh, playing guitar and keyboards, Louise McGraw, formerly of the combo SKJØR sings with conviction, with dark vocal and instrumental lines, accompanied by electronic percussion.
BM could throw around names like Self Esteem, Lonelady or even Chvrches – we are certainly talking about that level of raw talent, even if she is a wee bit nervous at times. Most of the tracks tonight were from her debut album ‘Human Danger’, which touches on subjects like the Yorkshire Ripper and the self-explanatory ‘Bad Habits in Gay Bars’, dedicated tonight to one particular establishment.
Several of the tunes mix tocatta-esque organ playing with sultry vocals, leading to BM describing her afterwards as “JS Bach vs Lana Del Ray” (you can keep that one Louise, it’s on me!). Highly recommended.
Headliner Lizzie Reid has been bubbling under for a while, and now with DF’s support she is likely to do very well indeed. Fresh from support slots for Paulo Nutini in Oban and elsewhere, she commanded the audience from the start, even with just a simple acoustic strum of the guitar.
She did however have a full band with her, although they were deployed judiciously and only “rocked out” fully a couple of times. Instead the accompaniment was a lot more disciplined, almost jazz-like in approach.
Most of the tracks were from debut album ‘Cubicle’, with highlights being a solo rendition of recent single ‘How Do I Show My Love’ on the Glad’s upright piano, and rockier numbers like ‘All That I Needed’ and ‘Warpaint’.
The audience was desperate for more and she finished with solo renditions of ‘Tribute’ and ‘Bible’. Lizzie has that rare combination of great songs and a great voice, and although not direct comparisons BM was reminded of the likes of Jeff Buckley and Chris Isaak – sheer class in other words…