For the Glasgow date of their ‘everyone, outside’ tour, Cassia put on an electric show at Òran Mór. With birds chirping in between songs, captivating synth sets and energetic performances, this show was a breath of fresh air and showcased Cassia as brilliant performers.
New York rock band Arcy Drive opened up the show with a loud and rocky set. The crowd sings along and cheers, getting in the mood for the rest of the show. Loud drums and gritty guitar are a staple, but they also slow things down for some folkier and more relaxed moments.
Cassia start their set with ‘everyone, outside’, performed mainly using drums and synths, enhancing the groovy feel of the track. Next they play ‘Drifting’ and ‘High Tones’, both of which go down a treat with the crowd. During ‘heat’, the audience claps along to the energetic performance. It has an anthemic feel to it, owing to the distinctive electric guitar and soaring choruses.
Before playing ‘Loosen Up’, the sound of birds chirping consumes the venue and the band draws out the intro to create suspense. Lead singer Rob Ellis dedicates the track to fans of their first album and when the song kicks off, the crowd screams wildly. The music seamlessly runs into the next song, ‘Vitamins’, which shows off each of the band members talents. With loud drums and guitar which contrast with the cool blue and white lighting, this is an enchanting performance of the song.
In between songs, the lead singer talks to the crowd and says “it’s so good to be back in this beautiful city”, which the crowd responds to with loud cheers. Next, they play ‘100 Times Over’, the first song Cassia ever released. The audience sings along very loudly and a guitar solo garners frenzied screams from the audience.
When introducing ‘Don’t Make A Scene’, Ellis reveals that the band wrote the track in Berlin during the pandemic. For this performance, the band only use synths, acoustic guitar and vocals, which creates an almost haunting atmosphere on the verses. As Ellis and bassist Louis Cotterill play the synths, the crowd is enthralled by the performance, staring at the stage in wonder. The song builds up in the bridge, and as the drums and bass are added to the mix, the song is transformed and becomes more upbeat and happier.
During a musical interlude, drummer Jacob Leff swaps to a drum with a more delicate sound. This experimental section, which relies mainly on synths, is a captivating performance. When addressing the crowd afterwards, the lead describes touring as “surreal” and “pretty addictive”, thanking the audience for coming out to see them.
‘miles out’ is a high energy performance with bronze lighting and catchy guitar. The crowd dances and sings along to the upbeat and honest track. Next, the band plays ‘forever’. Synths and electric guitar in the intro create a heavenly atmosphere, and the stage is bathed in purple lighting as the lead singer croons softly.
The band slow things down for ‘Gotta Get through Til Monday’. Ellis swaps out an electric guitar for an acoustic one, adding an almost magical element to the performance. ‘Motions’ is a crowd-pleaser which gets the audience up and jumping around while they clap and sing along.
The first song of the encore is ‘reframe’ which consists of loud rocky guitar and drums. Yellow lighting matches the relaxed vibe of the song, and as the lights go out and the song cuts out for a split second before coming back even louder, the crowd erupts. Before playing the final song of the night, the band says that it has been “such a special gig”. The band entertains the audience for one last time with a performance of ‘Right There’, a classic and fan favourite. The crowd loudly sings along, giving all they’ve got for one last time.
The concert fused Cassia’s tropical sound and introspective lyrics with captivating showmanship. Each band member’s capabilities shined through on every song, with the band proving their musical talents and ability to entertain.