After announcing their split back in September, Sundara Karma kicked off their farewell tour in Glasgow, O2 Academy. British indie-rock legends were shooting for stardom back in 2017 so the last few performances from the band had high expectations from fans.
Compared to the last Sundara gig I attended, back in 2023 at the SWG3, this one had a much higher turnout. Clearly, old and new fans (even ones who hadn’t listened to the band in a while) came together for one last hurrah. The venue was packed and a bittersweet hum of excitement buzzed throughout the crowd as we prepared to dance our hearts out and say goodbye.
The up-and-coming indie rock band from Manchester, Florentenes, opened the night with their support act. The group gained some cheers and “woop”s from the crowd as people bobbed along to their sound.
Next up for support were future indie legends Overpass, leading the floor into a blur of dance as fans belted their lyrics back to them.
Once the crowd was warmed up and raring to go, Sundara bounced on to the stage with A Young Understanding.
Appeasing fans, the group played songs from across their discography and treated the crowd to popular hits like Indigo Puff and She Said. Having such big hits smack in the middle of the show kept the audience jumping and screaming with joy, yet it left fans wondering what track they would choose to end on.
Throughout their set, Sundara gave it their all to deliver an outstanding performance caked in energy and passion. Oscar, lead singer, dedicated time in each song to encourage the crowd to dance and yell the lyrics back to him.
As fun as it was to see Sundara Karma performing again, the melancholy feeling that this was final couldn’t be shaken – Oscar spoke to fans several times in between hits to thank them for their support and to wish them all the best.
Almost as soon as it begun, the time came for the last song. One Last Night On This Earth saw the band leave the stage as the crowd chanted for “one more tune”.
To fans’ delight, an encore arrived with Explore and Flame leading us to the end of the night. As Flame ended, the band thanked fans again and gave us one last group bow before disappearing backstage with the crowd cheering long after they left.
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.
