Indie-rock band Keo performed an electrifying set at Glasgow Art School on the 23rd of October.
The London-based four-piece originally got their title from the last name of their frontman and bassist, brothers Finn and Conor Keogh.
Their first release of this “era” came in March of this year with the single I Lied, Amber, which was soon followed up by their first EP Siren in June. Although the band only put out their first body of work this year, they started to create buzz in the indie-rock scene months before by many fans finding their music through clips on social media and through platforms such as SoundCloud. The band were also able to cultivate attention around themselves by having opened for Kings of Leon at Hyde Park in 2024 alongside other notable acts such as Paolo Nutini, The Vaccines, and Nieve Ella.
Brooki
Irish rock band Brooki warmed up the crowd before the main act. Their set consisted of loud drum and guitar sounds and powerful vocals coming from their frontwoman Sarah. The band played a six-song set with highlights including songs such as Bite the Apple and Amber. Brooki effectively excited their audience, prepared the crowd for Keo, and are definitely the ones to watch.
Keo
After Brooki finished their set, it was time for Keo to come on stage. Keo’s set was a mix of the songs off of their EP Siren with many unreleased tracks woven throughout. They opened the show with the second track of their debut EP, Hands followed up by two currently unreleased songs, Deserts and Young. Even after just three songs, two of which not even being released on streaming platforms, the impact this show was going to have on the audience was apparent due to the sheer energy and volume of the crowd.
A real highlight of Keo’s performance was when they played the third track off Siren, Thorn. During this song, the crowd just went off and the energy was clearly reciprocated by the band. This was especially apparent during the bridge where frontman Finn Keogh screams the lyrics “Oh, and you’re so much more than a change in the tide, the thorn in my side” and the crowd just took over for the rest of the song. The band praised the famous Scottish crowds multiple times during their time on stage, specifically when the crowd started to chant the band’s name repeatedly.
After performing Thorn, the band continued to play unreleased tracks such as Only We Know and Spaceman before playing the melancholic Stolen Cars, which was also featured on their debut EP. The band’s set ended with their first single I Lied, Amber, which was an emotional yet fitting choice to finish their 13-song set. The contrast between some of the slower-paced tracks compared to the powerful nature of I Lied, Amber created a strong emotional release within the crowd, almost making it so that every other song on the set was placed there as a build-up to the finale.
Keo are already set to return to Glasgow in March as a part of their Spring 2026 tour. They are set to play SWG3 TV Studio on the 8th of March 2026.
Stream Siren here:
📸: Myah Mcadam (@myhmcdm)