Walking up to the Barrowland in preparation for James Marriott’s concert, I am first blown away by the crowds of fans waiting in line for the doors to open.
The line looped around the corner – the end of the line was next to the start of the line – filled with fans, some that have told us that they have waited since 5am to see James Marriott perform.
Openers
Once inside the venue, the anticipation could be felt in the crowd, the venue filled with fans ready to watch the performance they waited hours for.
First to perform was Calum Bowie with his own songs and getting the crowds to sing along with his covers of Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club and Good Luck Babe.
He was followed by Esme Emerson with their duo act captivating the crowd before James Marriott came on stage to thunderous applause – this was what everyone was waiting for.
James Marriott takes Stage
The lights are turned off, the set lights are flashing, everyone knows James Marriott is coming on stage now.
He starts the concert – alone without band – singing Ventriloquist. This was my first impression of James Marriott, I have never listened to his music or been to a concert, and I was captivated.
His performance has only started, and he has everyone’s attention drawn to him at the centre of the stage with the light shining on him.
The band joins him on stage after the first song, and this is when the concert picks up energy that has been laying in wait from eager fans.
From Fans to Artist
The energy from James Marriott feeds off the energy of the fans throughout the concert – Glasgow fans do not disappoint when giving their all to artists that perform, but it’s special to see the dedication James Marriott’s fans have for him.
During Car Lights fans lift LGBTQ+ flags to start waving around. These flags have been handed out while fans were waiting in line by a fan group – I got my own handed to me when I arrived despite not waiting in line for hours on end like these fans.
This dedication brought James Marriott to tears by the end of the performance of the song.
This wasn’t the end of the dedications between fans and him. After James Marriott got awarded the Rock Sound Breakthrough Artist of the Year 2025 award, he dedicated his song It’s Only Love to fans.
You could feel the respect and love the fans had for James Marriott, but you could also feel it being reciprocated by James Marriott (especially with him joining in on the “No Scotland No Party” chants throughout the concert)
End of the Concert
When watching James Marriott perform, I understandably lost track of time. It didn’t feel like time was moving as I was enjoying the performance too much – I have been sold on the hype of James Marriott and will be adding his songs to my playlists to be played on repeat!
When James Marriott left the stage and the lights turned on, I joined in the chants for one more song with the fans. I tried not to be disappointed that he didn’t come back out, but only because I didn’t want such a captivating experience to stop just yet.
I will have to wait until the next time he is in Glasgow to see a performance like that again, maybe I would wait to see him from 5am like some fans have done.
Feature Image Credit: Kerry Lloyd
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