British indie band Sundara Karma returned to Glasgow last night after four years. Anticipation was buzzing throughout the queue as fans eagerly awaited their performance.
Support
As the audience poured into the SWG3 and the crowd hummed with excitement, Spyres took to the stage. Spyres were the support for the gig, a youthful indie four-piece from Glasgow. Playing their hits such as Fake ID, Spyres got the crowd warmed up in no time.
Spyres started out making music at 14 and 15 years old. Now, two of them have school and university commitments, and the other two work full-time. However, they don’t let that get in their way of delivering an earthshattering performance.
As their segment came to an end, they thanked everyone for coming out and said their thanks to Sundara for having them.
Sundara’s performance
The music started back up as the stage was readied for the main event, and it wasn’t long until Sundara faced Glasgow once more, running on stage to Speed Drive by Charlie XCX.
She Said began instantly, a fan favourite that kept the screams and cheers going from the moment they set foot on stage.
From that moment, the crowd never dulled. Next up were some of their newer songs, such as Baby Blue and Friends of Mine from their latest album, Better Luck Next Time.
Kill Me earned roars from the crowd as they jumped along to the beat. Kill Me was released in 2020, and at the time was Sundara’s first new release since their 2019 album, Ulfilas’ Alphabet.
Nearing the end of the show, Sundara treated fans to some of their earliest work.
Explore from their debut album Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect was released in 2016. The crowd became deafening as they expressed their excitement and love for this song. Indigo Puff from 2014 was a surprise I wasn’t expecting, but I was ecstatic to hear those opening notes.
Encore
The band made a dramatic exit as chants of “one more tune” started up. Just when we thought there was no encore to be had, Sundara bounced back onto the stage.
Better Luck Next Time, the titular song from their new album, was the first to play. Fans loved their performance, but they loved the next song even more.
Flame, from their debut album, closed the show. Both Sundara and the crowd used the last of their energy for this performance. The full room shook with the jumping crowd, and Oscar joined them on the dancefloor for the last half of the song.
It was amazing to see Sundara back in Glasgow after all those years. Their energy hasn’t changed a bit, and fans clearly love them all the same. The mix of newer and older tunes worked great for their return to the city, giving fans exactly what they wanted.
Featured Image Credit: Emma Christie
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
