When Fickle Friends made their way to Glasgow in 2025, they were not expecting to make headlines, let alone those that included an ‘exploding toilet’. After an unfortunate plumbing incident in Glasgow’s iconic venue King Tut’s, their show was cancelled 30 minutes before stage time. Finally returning to set things right, one year later, Scottish fans showed that they are loyal through and through, of course selling out this date on their latest tour.
Opening up was singer-songwriter Enna who played a stripped back acoustic set. Early tracks in her set detailed long distance heartbreaks (you ruined paris) and getting broken up with on your birthday (okay cool). Despite the sombre topics she had the audience captivated with her striking voice and gripping songs. This was an example of beautiful and honest storytelling made even more endearing by Enna’s adulation of the Glasgow crowd. Unreleased tracks double knot and secret also stood out, showing there’s longevity in her writing and a bright future ahead of her (hopefully with less heartbreak). Those who made it down early for her performance were still voicing their praise long after she’d left the stage.
Next to take the stage was Leona Rue. The set started with a bang, with Leona joining her band during the intro of up-tempo track Start Again. The rest of her set was filled with pop-rock energy and catchy tracks with Leona and her band building the anticipation in the room. Annabelle was a songwriting highlight but set closer Car Crash really brought the house down. Although there was a presence of backing tracks accompanying the 3-piece live band, it did highlight the vision Leona Rue was aiming for in her performance. It would be interesting to see how these songs sounded with a fuller band and live backing vocals.
Finally it was time for a very long-awaited set from indie poptimists Fickle Friends. You could almost hear a joint sigh of relief when the band made it to the stage. Touring their most enjoyable album yet, Fickle Friends had a set propelled by catchy pop songs and good vibes. Opening with 2025 single Swoon followed by old favourite Glue showed that regardless of the release date, fans were singing along to absolutely everything, giving the band the welcome they deserved after the ordeal they went through on their last visit.
The first half of the set hit each part of their career before a hitting a satisfying run of tracks from their debut album ‘You Are Someone Else’. The band not only showed a high level of enjoyment but also a range of talent, with a particular strong point being the satisfying harmonies between lead guitar parts and the fun use of a vocoder. Lead singer Natassja Shiner also did not shy away from getting involved on the percussion front which added depth to the band’s live sound. Happier provided the biggest singalong of the night, with Tut’s in full voice for each of the choruses. There was no encore in sight and Fickle Friends rattled through Feral and Pretty Great leaving fans well satisfied with the 16 song setlist.
This was my second time seeing Fickle Friends and I was incredibly impressed to see how they’ve improved in a live capacity since their first release. And now with a bigger catalogue full of feel-good tracks to choose from, it would be a hard task to have any audience leaving with a frown.
Relive the night in the full in the playlist below!