O2 Academy
Glasgow
16/06/26
There is a uniqueness on the stars and a gambolling in the planets and then came Lola Young to Weegieland. As did her happy legion of Scottish fans who stood up and danced every word in angelic union. Lola Young is the brightest British star in the Gen Z pantheon, but what is Generation Z. Well, it has nothing to do with Zombies, & all to do with being born beyond the analogue era, & peaking in one’s youth in a digital atmosphere where, if one is in the public’s eye, every iota of our lives, all the middling moments, piddling details, & majestic triumphs are shar’d in in instant for the world to see.
Lola Young, her music, & her identity is a majestic triumph, but flowing from a flaw’d persona into whose zeitgeistal connectivity all the Gen Zee-ers can effortlessly engage. That is why, at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, by song four of her sparkling 15-song set, more or less all the audience in that old, elegant & grandiose auditorium were on their feet & dancing.
To my left a young mother was there with her two daughters of about 6 & 8; behind me sat a couple of about 70; to my right a Scouser & her sons were having a reyt rave. It was all kicking off for Lola Young in Glasgow.
There is something so honest about her songs; it seems that she is a melodic narrative with the restless questions in her head, while reinforcing the realisations with really catchy chorusi.
Lola is still in her mid twenties, & only a couple of years into what seems like will be an award-winning career. Already she has had both a blockbuster hit – Messy – & an addiction-fuell’d, mental breakdown made stage collapse in New York last year, which slamm’d hard on the breaks for any more touring for a while.
By the summer of 2026, two years after Messy, her fans clearly adore her with intense passion, from whom she clearly draws energy from to fuel her performances, & her day-to-life. After such public personal struggles, I hope that feeling so much appreciation will feed her creativity to an extent that she will craft one of those perfect albums the world will remember forever, not just her legions of loyal sing-a-longing fans.
Damo
themumble.uk 