Balu Brigada: From Twenty One Pilots support to sold-out headline tour

Written by Chloe Buckley

In 2024, it was announced that the New-Zealand originating, New York based band Balu Brigada would join Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy World Tour. Spanning across four different continents and 64 cities, the brothers experienced a surge in popularity from opening the Clancy shows ahead of the release of their debut album.

Balu Brigada performing at Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow on 5 May 2026

Opening for a band such as Twenty One Pilots, who have an incredibly dedicated fan-base, Balu Brigada were bound to be loved by the clique. Anyone who supports their favourite band are supported by them.

Throughout the duration of the tour, Balu Brigada played a variety of songs from their previous EP’s such as I Should Be Home and Find A Way. The band also performed new singles from their album Portal, which at the time was yet to be released.

Portal was released in August 2025, featuring fan favourites from the tour such as ‘So Cold’ and ‘Backseat’.

Balu Brigada started their Portal Tour in Mexico City last year, and fast forward to now, they have wrapped up the European leg of the tour.

I got the chance to see them in Glasgow, on 5 May 2026, exactly one year to the day from seeing them open for Twenty One Pilots at the OVO Hydro on 5 May 2025.

Going from the Hydro to Queen Maragret Union felt like more than just a change in venue size. Despite the smaller setting, the energy in the room felt just as massive as it was in the 14,000 capacity arena.

As the atmospheric opening track ‘The Portal’ played, brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley took to the stage alongside their band. They then jumped into ‘Golden Gate Girl’ one of the later singles from the album and a nice track to get the crowd going.

Throughout the show, the band played most of the tracks from Portal, as well as going back to a few popular songs from their EP’s like ‘Designer’ and ‘Moon Man’.

Along with these hits, two covers were played at the show too. They performed their take on ‘You Make My Dreams’ by Daryl Hall & John Oates, as well as ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes. The latter cover was massively helped by the Glasgow crowd, with the addition of “No Scotland, no party!” chants. It was unexpected to the New Zealand duo, but it was gladly welcomed and followed by their attempts at Scottish accents.

However, the real star of the show was ‘Backseat’, a song which was a hit during the Clancy tour around the time of its release. It is one of the most streamed songs in their discography and definitely the highlight of their live shows.

With over five million monthly Spotify listeners already, it’s clear that Balu Brigada are a must-see act, and a band that are absolutely going to dominate in the next few years.