A review of bedroom pop star beababoodee's live return to Edinburgh on 3 October 2021 where she proved why she's one of indie's brightest young stars.
You knew it was going to be one of those special nights before it had even started.
The anticipation to see beabadoobee at the Liquid Room was so much that there was a line of people waiting to get in an hour after the doors had opened.
The queue that snaked down Victoria Street contained an assortment of outsiders. Emo girls stood next to goth boys sharing the pavement with students. A testament to the appeal of the singer-songwriter whose grunge fuelled tunes of modern life connect with the masses.
In keeping with the quiet LOUD quiet LOUD theme of the genre, support act Mac Wetha whipped up the capacity crowd by finishing their set with a cover of Nirvana’s ‘Territorial Pissing.’
It was then time for beabadoobee to make her entrance and she did so in spectacular fashion. Striding on stage in biker boots and a frayed tartan mini dress she looked like she’d just come straight from a Sex Pistols show circa 1977.
What she lacked in between song banter she more than made up in songs. She tore through most of her debut album Fake It Flowers, one of the best releases from last year, and she shook the Liquid Room to its core as she did.
And she did it mostly rooted to the spot, a picture of serenity in the eye of a storm. Anyone can play guitar, Radiohead once wailed. But not as mesmerising as that.
Her band were also immense. Bassist Eliana Sewell was often twisting and turning in her own wee world. While on the other side of the stage guitarist Jacob Bugden orchestrated the crowd in chaotic mosh pits that were not for the nervous.
‘Together’ sounded as good live as you hoped it would. A mass of arms sway in the air to ‘Disappear’ and the self-referencing deftness of ‘Last Day On Earth’ left a euphoric smile on your face.
The audience demand an encore with quite possibly the poshest chant of “One More Song” I’ve ever heard but their wishes were granted. beabadoobee returned to the stage with an acoustic guitar to perform ‘Coffee.’ Not only did it blaze a trail for her but after it was sampled by Powfu it became an even bigger success. Then when it ended up on TikTok it exploded across the universe.
But she’s no social media fluke. Consider it was the first song she wrote at the age of seventeen after learning to play the guitar whilst watching YouTube tutorials and you can’t help to be impressed. The emotional lyrics melt even the coldest of hearts. Just ask the surly security staff at the front.
She ended with a high octane finish. ‘Cologne’ from this summer ‘Our Extended Play’ bounced around the venue before beabadoobee embraced her band and called it a night.
As the sweaty crowd head out into the street two thoughts occur.
The first is we don’t just need more women in music. We need more people promoting and encouraging the ones we have that will inspire the ones we don’t. The ones writing anthems we’ll get drunk to when they’re at an age they can’t legally drink. Ones as good as ‘Coffee.’
And the second is with beabadoobee in the lineup for next year’s TRNSMT along with Wolf Alice, Fontaine’s DC and The Strokes, it’s just as well Glasgow Green doesn’t have a roof on it.
There’s a chance it would be blown off if it did.
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