When previewing both Edinburgh and Glasgow Summer Sessions earlier in the year, it was this show out of the extensive list which stood out, with the most star-studded line-up from the hottest up and comers to the latest in worldwide pop superstars on the bill. The wait was finally over and it was time to see if this really was going to live up to the line-up hype.
With super early set times which unfortunately don’t coalesce with a weekday work schedule, I sadly missed Alessi Rose, but I was ecstatic to make it in the nick of time to see my new favourite artist Audrey Hobert.
This was my second time seeing Audrey this year, the first at O2 Academy, Glasgow, and it was fantastic to see her live show in a bigger context. We were still treated to her tall arrival in her trench coat and disguise, however, with only 30 minutes to spend on her performance, she was very economical with her time, managing to fire through almost all of her debut album.
Her fast paced confessional tracks brought a huge amount of fun to the occasion and for those who did not know her before today, there’s no way they were forgetting this support slot. New single Silver Jubilee went down a storm with the crowd along with the extremely fun Sue Me. I continue to be completely obsessed.
Next up was Zara Larsson taking her viral sensation of a show to Scotland. Her set was full of colour, dance breaks, audience participation and pop bangers from start to finish. Zara’s set was beautifully bookended with Midnight Sun which felt right at home in the festival environment.
Highlights also included seeing Edinburgh’s Lush Life girl and the crowd giving Pukkelpop a run for their money with their Midnight Sun poses. Gold star for commitment for the Scottish fans. Underneath all the dramatics and show-stopping moments, it’s Zara’s impressive vocals which will continue to solidify her as one of the greatest pop artists of this generation.
Finally it was time for the headliner Lorde. She gave a packed performance full of tracks from latest album ‘Virgin’ as well as classics from ‘Melodrama’ and ‘Pure Heroine’. She got the fan service out the way fairly promptly with a short but sweet version of Royals before plummeting into her more elevated tracks. The bass thumped throughout, providing many a euphoric moment for fans to dance and singalong. The theatrics of Lorde’s set came not from the dance steps or props but from her light show and camera work reminiscent of Charli xcx’s BRAT tour.
Liability provided one of the most moving parts of the evening before heading into the most exhilarating run of tracks: Hammer, Supercut, Team, Man Of The Year, Girl, so confusing and Green Light – leaving the crowd overwhelmed with elation. Overall, this was a world class performance, one that I’ll remember forever. I’m already wondering how Summer Sessions could possibly top this next year.
Relive the evening with the playlist of sets below!